Yu-Gi-Oh!: Legacy
by WirFliegen
Summary: 25 years ago, the universe collapsed. As dimensions collided the world was brought into ruin as billions of people from each dimension fell victim to this travesty. With nearly every major city in the world destroyed, it seemed like humanity would not recover. However, from the ashes rose Fortuna City, a shining beacon of humanity's will to move forward despite tragedy.
1. The Man Known as Yurren Yuki

Gentle sunlight filtered into the room, bathing the luxury condo in it's glow. Standing before an outcropping of appliances, a young man was busy at work at the stove. He wore a frilly pink apron over his two piece pajamas, striking as that was, it was nowhere near as odd as his hair. His hair was large and distinctive, black with silver and gold highlights on the bottom of his bangs. Spikes curling out from his head to point up behind him with miscellaneous other points sticking out, but curling back inwards over his face and falling past his neck. Two odd spikes on either side of his head stuck straight out, making his head look wide. Perhaps the only good visual analogy that existed for the shape of his head would be a malformed and bunched together group of overgrown weeds. It looked like he was continuously under attack from a particularly violent bird. The young man worked ceaselessly, diligently flipping pancakes.

A rich smell of butter and freshly backed flour shrouded the vast living room in its aroma and sneaked down under the shut door on the opposite side of the room. The door opened, and the young man, with a wry smile, began sorting out the massive stack of pancakes onto sixteen different plates.

"Good morning Elegy.'" He turned on his heel to see a woman with pastel green skin standing before him. Her short, dark green hair was ruffled and messy. She wore a purple singlet and a draped skirt that split near the end to reveal her thigh, though her legs were mostly hidden under her matching thigh high boots. A violet wing shaped like a harp stuck out from her shoulder blade. She was very beautiful, but she looked naturally somber and distant. Her eyes were pulled down in such a way that she always looked somewhat melancholy.

She smiled however, and that smile lit up her eyes, creating an odd contrast between her emotions and her face.

"Go-good morning Yurren. Did you sleep well?" Her voice was sweet as honey, but as beautiful and light as a flower in spring. She pulled out one of the many chairs that stood around a large rectangular table positioned just outside the kitchen area and a few feet behind the wide white leather couch that sat before the massive flat screen TV on the opposite wall.

"Slept great." Yurren hid his lie with a bright smile, sliding a plate and utensils up to her. "Where's everyone else?"

"Bloom and Opera should be awake soon." Elegy looked over her shoulder, her eyes falling upon a table beside the couch. On it, sat a simple Kaiba Corp style duel disk and a deck of cards. The blue and red colors were slightly faded and there were signs of damage on the disk's face. "I do-don't know about the others though, they might be staying in."

"They should always wake up on time." Yurren moaned, placing his hands on his hips.

As if on cue, the door Elegy came from opened and two more came out. Well, one came out, the other was dragged. The first was a young girl, her hair done upon

in bizarre, three pointed style that curled inwards and dressed in a simple, plain white dress, a pink ribbon, decorated with curling images of ledger, attached to the back. Her pupil-less eyes squinted against the morning light. A large pink flower in a small golden pot floated behind her, and on it laid another little girl. This one's pink hair was done up into a beehive with two large buns, shaped like drills stuck out from either side of her head. She wore a light blue dress with white fluff at the bottom, which was decorated in music notes, and on her back sat a little pair of cloth wings. She was fast asleep as she was pulled to the table on the first girl's flower.

Yurren took two more plates and put them on the chairs on either side of Elegy. "Good morning Bloom, Opera not awake yet?"

Bloom Diva positioned the flower behind of the table and groggily stumbled up to Yurren, hugging him around the waist. "M-morin' Yurren..." She yawned loudly and Yurren chuckled, rubbing her head affectionatly.

"You can go back to sleep if you want."

"No. Food."

"Hahaha, alright alright. It's on the table already."

"Thank you..." Bloom let go and wobbled back to the table, taking a moment to slap Opera in the stomach. "Food!"

Opera groaned and rolled over, falling right off the flower and crashing into the floor. She sat up, rubbing the back of her head and groaning. Bloom, mission completed, pulled out a chair and climbed into it.

Opera looked around, her unspoken question answered when she saw Bloom's flower. She stood up and hurried over to hug Yurren, tackling him with a hug. "Morning Yurren!"

"Good morning..." Yurren wheezed out, rubbing Opera's head. "You hungry?"

"That I am."

"Food's on the table."

"Alright!" Opera let go and ran back around the table to her chair.

Elegy wrinkled her nose. "What do you say?"

"Thank you!"

"You're welcome."

Bloom was busily cutting her pancakes, her knife slipping out of her hand much to her frustration.

"Need help Bloom?" Elegy asked, her hands already moving to take her utensils.

Bloom shook her head. "I can do it! T-thank you though." She added quickly.

As the two talked, a bright light began to shine from the deck of cards. The light pushed out into a trail that shot out from the middle of the deck and fell onto the floor, taking the shape of a monster as the light faded.

"Hello Can-"

"No talk. Food." Canon interrupted Bloom, brushing past Yurren to grab a plate. She sat on the other side of Bloom and started eating. Elegy's eyes flared up and she glared at Canon, face pulled into a revoltingly ugly scowl.

"Will everyone else be coming out soon?" Yurren asked, wry smile still on his face.

"Yep. An-"

A massive, blinding light stormed from the deck. One at a time, the light collapsed into monster after monster. Yurren turned away from the light to collect more plates before turning back to the group of brightly colored monsters before him. "Here we go..."

First was Serenade. "G-g-good mo-morning Yurren!"

"Good morning Serenade, rest well?" She nodded, smile as bright as the sun as usual. She took her plate and hurried to sit beside Canon, who stopped eating and pulled a chair out for her, grining reassuringly.

Next was Soprano. "..."

"Good morning to you too."

"..." She took her plate and sat in an empty chair by herself.

After her was Aria and Sonata.

Sonata smiled happily and hugged Yurren.

"Good morning Yurren!"

"Hey there Sonata! Sleep well?"

"I did indeed! Aria did too."

Aria nodded briskly, sratching her head as she spoke. "That I did. Morning, Maestro."

Sonata looked back at Aria, frowning. "His name is Yurren!"

"He's our Maestro isn't he?"

"Yes but his name is Yurren!"

"But he's our maestro. Also, 'Maestro' is a WAY cooler name." She looked at Yurren. "Don't you think so?"

"Uh-"

"This has nothing to do with him!" Sonata snapped at Aria, making her roll her eyes. The two contiuned to bicker childishly before taking their plates and sitting at opposite ends of the table. They didn't take their eyes of each other as they ate with the venomosity of bitter two war-hardened warriors that had fought time and time again.

Following those two was little Score.

"G-good morning Yurren."

"Ha see!? People call him Yurren! Take that Aria!"

"Drop it already Sonata!" Canon barked, tossing a napkin at Sonata. The napkin hit her, her mouth fell open in disbelief and she huffed angrily.

"...good morning Score." Yurren rubbed Score's head and she hugged his knee. "Ready to eat?"

"Yes!"

"Good to hear." Yurren bent down, handing Score a plate. "Do you need help getting into a chair?"

"I'll help her." Mozarta spoke up from behind Score. She already had her plate in one hand. She took Score and led her to sit beside Soprano, who scooted over to give Mozarta enough space.

"Thank you Mozarta, and good morning to you."

"Thank you dear, good morning to you too."

After that was little Bloom Prima and Shopina.

"Morning~!" Prima greeted Yurren in a singsong voice.

"Feeling energetic this morning?"

"Like every morning!"

Yurren laughed and took the last two plates off the counter.

"Let me take care of that." Shopina said hurridly, taking the plates from Yurren and setting them on the other side of Soprano. "Need help Prima?"

Prima shook her head. "I can get in the chair myself!"

"If you say so honey."

"How many times do I have to say it until it is 'so'?" Prima puffed out her cheeks angrily and crawled into her chair. Shopina sighed and gave Yurren a one-armed hug before sitting down beside her.

Last in line was Solo. She gave Yurren a big hug when she reached him, shaking him back and forth in her arms.

"How'd you sleep Maestro?"

"Ha! See!? Solo calls him Maestro too!"

"You need to drop it too Aria!"

Solo laughed at Canon's prompt response, grabbing her own plate from the counter. "Mmmhmm~! Pancakes are my favorite! Thanks abunch...Maestro Yurren!" A sly smile

spread as she said that and Yurren buried his face into his hands. She troted off to sit by Aria.

"What was that? She fused his names into one!?" Opera shouted in mock disbelief, a big grin plasted across her small face.

"What an incredible power!" Prima chimed in, rising her spoon and shouting into it. "Truly, we have witnessed something incredible!"

Bloom stood up in her chair, speaking into her spoon as well. "Ladies and gentlemen, Solo has displayed a power NO ONE else could ever HOPE to compete with!" Sonata and Aria looked at each other and slid down their chairs, Aria folding her arms, pouting and Sonata furrowing her brows with bitter frustration.

Elegy pulled at Bloom's dress, whispering to sit down.

Yurren did a quick head count, he'd only greeted fourteen divas. He turned to the table. "Have you seen Ta-" He was cut off by seeing Tamtam sitting right

next to Opera, her plate already in front of her. She waved to Yurren, grinning triumphatnly and smuggly.

"Oh you..."

"Good morning Yuuuurren!" She could barely speak through her giggles.

"Tricky little devil..." Yurren rubbed his head and addressed Mozarta. "Is Schuberta coming out?"

"I don't think so dear...she worries me sometimes." Mozarta laid a hand on her cheek and sighed loudly.

"I'll put her meal in a bag then."

"As usual!" Aria shouted from her end of the table.

Shopina scowled at Aria. "Don't be rude."

"It's true though, she's never here for meals!" Opera spoke up, jabbing her fork into her pancakes violently.

"That may be true darling, but please don't make a fuss about it, alright?" Mozarta reached across the table to pat Opera's head. "We don't need to fight about

Schuberta's...habits..."

"Bu-but sh-she was-sn't fighting..." Serenade mumbled.

"Serenade's right! You're the one making a fuss Moza!" Canon barked, slamming her fork on the table.

"I-I didn't-"

"Don't yell at Mozarta!"

"You wanna do something about it Shopina?"

"She's calling you out Shopina!" Solo declared.

"Hey hey Yurren! Can I have Schuberta's?"

"Why should you get it Prima!? I want it!"

"I called it first Tamtam!"

"Yurren, can I get some syrup?"

"It's in the fridge Bloom."

"Thank you!"

"Hey Bloom, could you get me some water?"

"Get it yourself!" Bloom stuck her tongue out at Sonata playfully, who gasped with unnessecary volume and drama.

Yurren watched the choir talk back and forth with an amused smile, their converstations getting more livily (and heated in terms of the argument between Canon and the Maestras) as time went on.

[My name is Yurren Yuki. I'm twenty-three years old and I work as a computer programer at the merged Fi Life Office in downtown Fortuna City.]

[And this is my family, my children.]

[I have a rare and unique power, I can give life to duel monster spirits, giving them physical forms. They can breath, sleep, eat, almost everything that a human can do.]

[It's not perfect however...they aren't fully human. Their bodies are fully efficient, meaning they don't produce waste. Despite their shapes and curves, their bodies are sexless, like mannequins; but that's just how duel spirits are it seems.]

"Yurren, are you going to eat too?"

"I ate earlier Elegy."

[It takes a lot of energy for me to maintain their forms, I actually have more than enough strength to keep them all out at once all the time, but that would ruin my sleep schedule even further. So they have to return to their card forms every now and then so I can rest. Bloom, Opera, and Elegy are special case: because I've had them for so long, it's easy for me to keep them out, so they can stay out for as long as they want. It's like performing a task over and over again until it's so easy you don't even have to think about it anymore, like breathing.]

"Solo where'd you get that water!?" Sonata demanded.

"From the tap. I did something amazing and got it myself."

"Whoa! Solo has per-" Tamtam started to speak into her microphone spoon, but Opera put a hand on her shoulder.

"We aren't doing that anymore."

"W-what? Oh, okay..."

[Even so, it's still tiring...but I gave them this life, I can't just take it away because I'm a little sleepy. They also need food, food for a family of sixteen including me, and lots of food means lots of money, and that means a lot of work...]

_Splash~!_

Water slammed into Yurren's face and the entire table went silently. Sonata's hands were over her mouth, a look of guilt on her face.

"Oh my gosh Yurren! I'm so-"

"It's fine!" Yurren turned away from the choir and ran to his room, saying, "I'll go clean up!" He slammed the door to his bedroom shut and could hear Opera beratting Sonata loudly as Elegy tried to calm the two down. Yurren ran to his dresser with the mirror and lowered his hand from over his eyes. Large streaks of congealing together concealer ran down his cheeks like tears. Yurren sighed. Grabbing a towel from the dresser top, he wiped the rest of the mess off his face.

He set the towel down and looked at himself.

The concealer gone, Yurren's dark bags stood out on his fair skin. They were large and black, like menacing shadows just beneath his eyes. Yurren ran his fingers across the dark circles. Wordlessly, he pulled a bottle of concealer closer and popped the lid off. Dusting a bit onto the tip of a brush, Yurren began reapplying the concealer on his eyes, making sure to cover every part of the telling dark circles. Once he was staisfied the circles were hidden, he snapped the lid onto the container and looked himself over. He looked normal, except for the bitter, sad expression that pulled down his features.

"...come on, smile."

His face didn't move.

"...you don't want them to worry do you?"

The edges of his lips strained and fought, slowly forcing their way upwards, but the weak smile his lips formed looked forced and miserable.

"..." He sighed and rubbed his temples again. Yurren's knees buckled, and he collapsed. He sat there.

Utterly unmoving, he just sat there, in the darkness.

* * *

Elegy stood outside Yurren's room. Her fingers tightened around the mop in her hands. "He's been in there a long time..." she muttered, biting her lip as she did so. She looked down at Bloom. "Shouldn't we check on him?"

Bloom looked up at her, her face mirroring Elegy's concern. "We should defini-"

Mozarta interviened, smacking both of them on the heads with a rag. "First of all, Yurren should have some time alone."

"But I-!"

"Second of all, none of you are going anywhere until we clean up this mess!"

"I don't care about this mess, I didn't even make it! What about Yurren?"

"He spends far too much time worrying about us, so give him some time to rest."

"Speaking of which," Aria spoke up from the other side of the couch, handkerchif tied around her head. "Does anyone else think Maestro-"

"Yurren."

"No one cares."

"...that MAESTRO," Aria continued, giving Sonata a glare and Canon a thumbs up, "has been a bit sad lately?"

"H-h-he's se-seemed normal to me..." Serenade said as she fumbled with the dishes.

Shopina took the plate from Serenade's shaking hands and dried it herself. "Watch it dear, you'll drop them."

Score spoke up from her place at the table, not looking away from her coloring book. "Yurren's been really busy lately."

"He's always busy." Opera interjected, spraying her water bottle at a spot of syrup on the table.

"Busir...Bus-e...Busssesi...M-more busy. He's been more busy!"

"I suppose Yurren has been more reserved than usual..." Elegy muttered to herself, looking at her feet.

"He probably doesn't want to worry us."

"As usual!" They all said together.

Prima laughed, loudly, smacking her fist against her knee. "I love it when we do that!" She wheezed between giggles. She clutched her stomach and fell over, laughing like a mad woman.

Solo raised her eyebrows as she picked up a discarded pancake from the floor. "We're a choir, we're supposed to be in synch. Ewuch." She threw the pancake away and wiped her hands on Canon's shirt.

Canon spun around instantly, glaring down at Solo. "WHAT DID YOU JUST DO!?" She screeched! Solo giggled and did it again. "I'LL KILL YOUUUUUUUU!"

Canon wound up her towel and snapped it at Solo, who dove out the way and ran out behind the couch Canon running just behind her, snapping the towel at her feet.

"Stop messing around!" Aria barked loudly. "If you make an even bigger mess I'll-"

"You can't stop me!" Canon pounced on Solo, pinning her beneath her knee and crossing her arms in front of her chest. "You're 400 points too low to try and beat my defense Ari-ARGHH!"

Canon's boasting was cut off as Opera dug her fist into Canon's stomach. her face twisted as she retched violently. She fell to both knees, grasping her stomach and wheezing violently. Opera stepped back, cracking her fists. "You're 300 points too low to try and beat my attack, Canon." Her eyes glinted evilily.

"Y-y-yoo-yoooouuu!" Canon rose her trembling arm towards Opera, but simply collapsed once more. She groaned in pain as Opera, smug smile on her face and hands on hips, placed her foot on Canon's back and puffed out her chest. Solo and Tamtam both clapped in admiration.

Mozarta shook her head, sighing. "We're never going to get this place cleaned up."

"Whose fault is that Tamtam?" Sonata muttered coolly, throwing a sponge at the diva's head.

"B-but a-aren't you the one who st-started it?" Serenade stuttered, looking irritated.

Sonata scoffed and turned away. "I don't remember throwing any food first."

"..." Soprano walked up to Sonata and slapped her over the back of the head.

"Ow! What the heck?"

Soprano pointed at the mess on the floor. "..."

"Hmph...fiiiiine..."

Elegy turned to Mozarta to speak up about visiting Yurren once more, but was cut off as a bright light burst from his deck and out came a tall woman with flowing amber hair and dressed in dark crimson and black, a golden mask over her eyes. The room's hustle and bustle fell silent as everyone turned to look at the new arrival. She cast a sweeping glance around the room.

"Uuu-ummm...!" Elegy spoke up, making the woman snap around to look at her.

Elegy flinched, so Bloom stepped forward. "If you're looking for Yurren, he's in his room right now."

"That's why I came out now," She responded curtly. "So I wouldn't have to see him.

Bloom's face tightened, but she continued. "He left your meal in the fridge Schuberta, since you di-" Schuberta turned away and walked up to the fridge, pulling the door open and grabbing the meal he had left for her. Bloom grunted, folding her arms. Schuberta warmed up her meal and sat at the table, her big body forcing her to bend over quite a bit just to get close to reach her plate. All eyes remained on Schuberta as she continued to eat. She made no indication that she knew everyone was watching her, or that she even cared.

"Is Yurren still sleeping?" She asked, not bothering to look up from her meal.

"We're not sure," Elegy muttered. "He got soaked earlier and went to clean up, but hasn't come out."

"Hmph."

Silence settled over the room again. The atmosphere grew awakward and cold until:

"You could at least pretend to care!" Opera barked, stalking towards Schuberta. Aria rushed forward and grabbed her.

"Oh ho...do you want to start something Ope-" Bloom jumped between the two, throwing her arms out and glaring at Schuberta. "..."

"Schuberta-"

"Still don't want me around, I see."

"That's no-"

"Save it Tamtam, I'll leave everyone be." Schuberta stood from the table. She dumped her clean plate into the sink and dissolved into light, returning to her card and leaving a heavy, awkward atmosphere in her wake.

"...ray of sunshine as always," Shopina grumbled.

"Shopina!"

"You know I'm right Mozarta!" Mozarta's mouth fell open. She was used to the Divas talking back, but never Shopina. Puffing up with indignation, she opened her mouth to retort-

A click from Yurren's door interrupted her. It swung open and Yurren walked out.

"Yurren!" Elegy dropped her mop and ran to Yurren, skidding to a halt in front of him. "Are you alright?"

"Yes I'm fine, did I worry you?" Elegy nodded vigorously and the rest of the choir nodded, vocalizing their agreement. "Ha ha, sorry about that. I had to take care of something."

"Morning woo-" Soprano smacked Canon across the back of the head before she could finish.

Yurren laughed. He made his way past Elegy towards his work desk in the corner of the room, facing the balcony through the massive windows. He pulled out the desk chair and settled into it. A feeling of dread looming over her, Elegy inched closer as his fingers flew across the keyboard. "What are you doing Yurren?"

"Work."

A deathly silence fell over the choir, an atmosphere of concern consuming the room. "W-wait!" Opera jumped up, running to the desk and looking up desperatly at Yurren. "I thought you were off today."

With a wry smile and accompanying sigh, Yurren looked down at Opera and said, "I am but we're behind and the deadline's in a week."

Bloom tuggeed Yurren's sleeve, trying to pull him away from the keyboard. "Yurreeeeen, please! It's your day off! You should take a break."

"You should listen to Bloom dear, you've been working awfully hard lately."

"I appreciate the concern, but I need to get this done."

Score leapt out of her chair and ran to the group around Yurren's work desk, drawing in hand. "Yurren, Yurren! Look! Look!" She thrust the paper at Yurren and he looked it over. It was filled with vague harshly colored shapes and what appeared to be fetuses around the edge and violently born scrawls of crayon. "Look see? It's you and me and we're in a field of flowers! See?"

...or that.

"It looks great Score! I'll put it on the fridge right away."

"Yay!" Score clapped her hands and Yurren took the drawing to the fridge. He stuck it ont, placing it among the various other drawing of varying qualities, from the childish drawings of Score and Tamtam, to the admittedly mediocre landscapes of Soprano and the crude characteratures of Mozarta calling herself stupid by Canon. Score beamed with pride as he scured it in place. "My next drawing will be even better!"

"Whoa, you're going to get even BETTER? I don't think you can get much better than THAT!" Yurren ruffled Score's hair. "But I look forward to it." Score giggled and Yurren returned to his work desk. He slipped on a pair of sound proofed headphones and got back to work, ending the conversation and blocking all of the protests of the others. The group around Yurren moved away towards the kitchen, giving him space to work. Tamtam flopped onto the couch and turned on the TV. She began flipping through the channels till she found her favorite children's show. The catchy opening theme drew Score, Prima, Sonata and Solo to the couch as well. Shopina sat down in one of the love-seats on the other side of the couch and pulled out her kntting needles. Soprano sat on the other side, pulling a hefty book from the bookstand next to her, it's cover depicted a very muscular shirtless man holding a marble statue of a woman protectivly in his arms, golden letters declaring the books name: "The Sculpted and the Sculpture. By: Y. Reed Nis."

Canon stalked up to Yurren and poked him in the shoulder. He pulled off his headphones and looked at her quizzically. "I'm going to go for a jog."

"Alright. Do you have an emergency phone?"

Canon grumbled. She grabbed the neck of her outfit and pulled it out, stretching it much to Yurren's chargin. She stuck her hand down it and rummaged around, pulling out a small red phone with two buttons, one for 911 and one for home, from between her breasts. "It's right here."

Yurren scowled. "I don't approve of you keeping things there."

"Tough shit."

"What happened to the purse I got you?"

"I lost it."

"The phone strap?"

"I lost it."

"The arm strap?"

"I broke it."

"The leg strap?!"

"My last phone slipped out that and broke."

Yurren groaned, rubbing his temples. "Go put on the leg strap, it's better than keeping it between your breasts."

With a grunt of displeasure, Canon sulked off. She returned a minute later with the leg strap around her thigh. "Happy now?"

"Much better. Do you need any money?"

"No. I've got some."

"You do? Where are yo-You know what, I'd rather not know."

Canon snickered. "Hey Serenade, wanna come with me?"

Serenade looked up from her book and nodded excitedly. She pushed her chair at the table in and returned the chair to it's proper place. "G-gladly! A-a-and I do have m-my phone Yurren."

"Thank you Serenade. You two be safe now, alright?"

"I make no promises!" Canon flung open the door, laughing like a maniac as she ran out. Serenade trotted out behind her, waving goodbye to Yurren before pulling the door shut behind her. Yurren sighed and returned to his work, pulling his headphones back over his head.

Chewing on her lip with violent vigor, Elegy watched Yurren work. "He's not going to listen to us, is he?" Bloom shook her head. She pulled a popsicle from the freezer and sucked it passionlessly, offering one to Elegy. "No thank you."

"I want it!" Bloom shrugged and held it out to Opera, who took the popsicle and began licking it, excited.

"I know that him working all the time isn't good," Aria began, leaning against the fridge as she spoke, "But wouldn't it be very bad if he missed the deadline?"

"It would, but-"

"Then isn't this a good thing?"

"No! I mean-"

"Elegy, he's not going to stop until he gets done." Bloom interuppted.

"Yes but-"

"When he takes a break, we'll talk to him again. Alright?" Bloom's face scrunched up. She pulled the popsicle from her mouth and grimaced. "I didn't want cherry..."

"...O-oh I know!" Mozarta clapped her hands together. "Why don't we try cheering him up?"

"Do you have an idea?"

"Well..."

Score perked up. She stood on the couch and turned around to peer over the back. "I know! Let's make Yurren really fat!"

"Excuse me dear, what?"

Score pointed at the TV as she explained, "Look, look! See there's this really fat guy on my favorite show! My favorite show is 'Super Team Buddy Force Unite!' H-he's the new character and his name's Yellow! He's this yellow guy who's always really happy!"

"Yeah...?" Elegy muttered.

"Yeah! Yellow is always really smilely and stuff!"

"Ooh! I know what you're talking about!" Tamtam stood up and joined Score. "Whenever the others are sad, Yellow always cheers them up!"

"Yeah yeah! Yellow is always happy! And he's fat too, see look!" Score pointed at the TV. A yellow creature with an unsettlingly massive grin that showed every single tooth in his misshapen mouth was bouncing up and down, his oversized stomach slamming into the ground, making it shake and making the other oddly colored and shaped character, trees, and mountains in the background leap off the ground. "See?"

"Sc-score that's not really-"

"Ooooh! Does that mean if he gets fat we'll be able to do that?" Prima added, watching the other characters jumping on Yellow's stomach.

Tamtam nodded vigorously. "Of course! It's on 'Super Team Buddy Force Unite!' an-and it's a show about teaching and learning!"

"You're right! That means it's teaching us things!"

Mozarta buried her face in her hands and Elegy folded her arms, looking troubled. Sonata stretched out and asserted, "We don't know how to cook though."

"Oh..." Score fell back down, looking dejected.

"And last time we tried ended really poorly." Solo added, digging something out from under her nails.

"I do miss our old home." Shopina muttered, still stitching.

Solo yawned loudly. "Can we switch over to 'Super Quantum Rangers' now?"

"Let's watch 'Hokuto no Ken' instead!" Opera blurted out.

"No, no, no!" Mozarta shouted, clapping her hands with every 'no.' "Yurren might let you watch it, but I will NOT let you watch such a gruesome show in front of Tamtam and Score!"

"Awww! Booooo! Boo Mozarta!"

"Boooooo!"

"Boooooooooooo!"

Mozarta huffed and turned on her heel. "Fine then, if you don't want me around then I'll go. Maybe you'll appreciate everything I do for you later!" She stormed off to the guest bedroom, slamming the door behind her.

"...hey Bloom?"

"Yes Elegy?"

"D-do you think we could sing to Yurren? That might cheer him up."

Bloom rubbed her chin. "It probably would...but we're missing Canon and Serenade and he wouldn't appreciate being interupted right now."

"Yes but-"

With a glint in her eye, Bloom smacked Elegy's thigh. She flinched in pain and Bloom said coo'ly, "I know you love him, we all do, but you need to calm down Elegy. Worrying about him all the time isn't helping anyone. Let's just wait till he takes a break before trying anything, okay?"

* * *

Several hours passed and over time, the choir went about doing other things. Yurren however, remained in place, only ever stopping to get a glass of water or go to the bathroom. The sun was high in the sky at this point. It was turning out to be another long, boring day (filled with worry for Elegy) until...

_Ding-Dong_

Elegy looked at the door curiously, putting her book down. She stood up from the kitchen table and opened the door. "Hello?"

Standing just outside the door were two kids, or one teen and one child. The teen was tall and stocky, his spiked, golden blonde hair stuck out backwards, like though it was much neater and tamed in comparison to Yurren's wild mess. A large cluster of bangs swirled over his right eye, curling up before obscuring it completely. A second large batch stuck out the back, curling up and to the left. It looked like two commas placed together sideways, but pointing in opposite directions. The blonde teen had narrow blue eyes and a thin mouth, but looked happy. The small child on his right had deep brown hair that swept to the left, it was spiky, but still far tamer than the other two's hairstyles. He had full rosey cheeks and a bright beaming smile, green eyes glowing with joy. They both had large duffel bags slung over their shoulders and were dressed in the school uniforms of the local middle and elementary school respectivly, the middle schoolbeing dark gray and white with a red tie (which wasn't tied but hung loosely around his neck) and the elementary school a simple baby blue and white.

"Yuno! Yuji!" Elegy's surprise overtook her joy, something that Yuno picked up on.

He put his hand hip and scowled. "Nice to see you too Elegy."

"W-well I-I mean like..." Elegy blushed, flustered from his snide attack.

"Yuji?" Score lifted herself from the couch, rubbing her tired eyes. Yuji waved at her excitedly. "Yuji!" Score jumped down and ran at Yuji, tackling im with a hug.

"Hehehe! Hi Score!"

"Can we come in Elegy?"

"O-oh of course! I-I'll get Yurren." Yuno hiked up his bag and followed Elegy inside, Score and Yuji right behind them. Elegy hurried to Yurren, still at work,

as the rest of the choir gathered around the new arrivals, greeting them with hugs and handshakes.

Elegy tapped Yurren on the shoulder. He groaned and pulled off his headphones again. "What now?"

"Your nephews are here."

Yurren's eyebrows smashed together as he shot up. "What? But it's not-" He looked at his calender in confusion.

"I know but they're here!"

Yurren narrowed his eyes. He walked up to the group of Divas surrounding Yuno and Yuji. "Hey there you two, how've you been? Hey hey, girls can you give me and Yuno some alone time?" There was a general murmur of agreement and the choir migrated like a flock of birds to the guest room, abducting Yuji in their movement. When the door shut, only Yurren, Yuno, and Elegy were lift in the den.

Yuno shot a glance at Elegy. "She's not leaving?" He spat.

"She's with me at all times, you know that."

Yuno groaned. He jumped onto the couch, dumping his bag to the ground. "You're like an old married couple."

Elegy blushed, covering her face and Yurren smiled warmly. "Not inaccurate. So, what brings you here Yuno?"

"...do you mind-I mean, c-can we stay here for awhile?" Yuno's request came out as a hushed whisper, he looked at his feet as he asked.

Yurren folded his arms, nodding. "Of course you can, I can't say no to family." He sat beside Yuno, Elegy hovering around awkwardly before going back into the kitchen, feeling really out of place. "They had another fight?"

Yuno nodded.

"Was it about money again?"

"No. It...it's complicated."

"What happened?"

"W-well...they started having an arguement about what high school I should go to when I graduate. Dad wants me to go somewhere cheap, and Mom says I should go into the advanced program. They fought for hours. When they finished, they told me to take Yuji and stay with you and...that they had some things to work out."

"Well I'm glad you could come ov-"

"While I was on the bus, I got a text from Mom. She told me that they were going to a counseling camp and that they wouldn't be back for a couple of months."

Elegy scowled and muttered, "How irresponsible..."

"I didn't ask for your input Elegy!" Yuno roared, standing and turning to glare at her.

Yurren pulled him back down. "Don't talk to her like that!" He shoved a finger into his face and snarled, "You're going through some rough shit but that's no reason to take it out on her!"

Yuno looked away, growling.

"Understood?!"

"Yes!"

"Good...good..." Yurren leaned back, taking some deep breaths. "I'm sorry I yelled at you man."

"It's fine..."

"U-um!" Elegy started, slowly approaching the back of the couch. "I-I-I'm sorry too Yuno..."

"It's fine..."

"You two can stay as long as you want."

"Thanks Yurren."

"I have to go back to work tomorrow, but you don't mind if the Divas take you to and pick you up from school, do you?"

"No, that's fine. I'm used to it."

"Well that's good." Silence fell over the trio, that silence permeating an awkward atmosphere that surrounded them. Yurren rub his head and broke the silence. "S-so!" He chuckled, "Anything else happen?"

Yuno didn't answer at first, but perked up suddenly! "Yeah. Yeah yeah! I do have something!"

He dove at his duffal bag and started digging through it, throwing loose underwear and cards all over the floor. He pulled back, holding a slightly crumpled letter marked with a fancy looking seal. "Check it out Yurren!"

"What is that?"

Yuno ripped it up and pulled out the paper inside, waving it about eagerly. "It's an invitation to the Fortuna Cup!"

"An invitation to a tournament?!" Yurren and Elegy shouted in unison.

"Damn straight!" Yuno put his hands on his hips and laughed loudly. "HA HA HA! AH HA HA HA!"

"That's incredible! How'd you get in?"

Yuno gave a proud thumbs up. "It was luck!" He declared loudly before laughing once more.

"...oh."

"Okay so-so like, I signed up for it right? A-and how it worked is, um, is that like, okay gimme a second." Yuno took some deep, calming breaths and continued. "Everyone in the tournament are professionals from around the world, but the last spot was decded by a raffle or something I'm not sure. Anyway! My name was drawn so I get to participate!"

"That's awesome!" Yurren stood and the two high fived, slamming their palms as hard as they could..

"Congratulations Yuno!" Elegy cheered, clapping and bouncing on her heels.

Yuno held up his hand and Elegy gave it a light high five. "Thanks Elegy. I'm going to win for sure! A-and guess what? The winner gets to duel the Fortuna Champion!"

"Sounds tough, are you sure you can handle him?"

"Yu-yurren, he has to win the tournament first..."

Yurren clapped Yuno on the back. "He's got this!"

"Thanks Yurren! I'm totally going to-!

"...after some more training of course."

"W-Eh?" Yuno froze, turning to Yurren with a look of incredulous fear on his young face. "W-wait ar-are you going to-?"

"I've got more work to do, but we're going to duel later today. Also, we need to make sure you can keep your powers in check so you don't acidentally hurt someone during the tournament." Before Yuno could protest, Yurren ruffled his hair and went back to his desk. He sat down and, just before he put his headphones back on, said to Yuno, "You better prepare for training later!"

Yuno stood stock still, hand reaching out to Yurren and mouth stuck open. Elegy patted his back. "It'll be alright, I'm sure he'll hold back."

* * *

"AAAAAAARRRRGGGHH!" Yuno bounced off the ground, rolling into the metal fence around the top of the buliding.

|Yuno: |

|300 - 0|

Yurren sighed, rubbing his temples.

"Stop doing that everytime!" Yuno screeched, pulling himself up with the fence. Elegy stood in the middle of the duel field, bouncing her heels and biting her lip. "And Elegy! For the love of God look happy when you win!"

"H-huh? Well I-"

"Looking guilty makes the pain WORSE!"

Elegy lifted off the ground and glided back down to hover before Yurren, who was shuffling his deck with a look of sour disappointment on his face. "Yurren, maybe you should hold back a bit?" She whispered.

"I am holding back."

"Oh...oh noooo..."

"Goddammit, again Yurren! I'm not stopping until I win!"

"And I'm not stopping until you win. Or until it's dinner time." He added under his breath.

The two had gathered on the roof of the building. Makeshift duel fields were drawn in chalk by some of the bulidings patrons. Yurren and Yuno stood across from each other and Yuji

sat on a bench on the sidelines, watching and swinging his legs.

"Let's duel!"

"Elegy the Melodious Diva, direct attack! Silent Requiem!"

Elegy nodded and shot forward. She pulled back her leg and spun once before delivering a brutal kick to Yuno's stomach! He was thrown into the fence once more and collapsed to the ground, retching in pain.

|Yuno: |

|2300 - 0|

"Oh my God! Are you alright?!" Elegy flew towards Yuno, picking him up and dusting him off. "Oh no, oh no! I'm so sorry! I tried toholdbackbutIdidn'tmean-" Her voice got faster and faster as she hurriedly apologized.

Yuno pushed her off, stumbling back and falling onto his butt. "Ughg-! _Cough cough_ Goddammit...goddammit!"

Yurren rubbed his head. "Maybe we should stop for today-"

"No! I'm...I'm not done yet!"

"Even so, I need to cook dinner for everyone-"

"Just order a pizza! We aren't done yet!"

"No...a single pizza won't-"

"ORDER TEN!"

* * *

Yurren groaned. It was 10 o'clock and they had just stopped dueling, and only because Yurren had to outright refuse to duel anymore since he had work tomorrow. Yuno had stompped off to bed in a huff, Yuji right behind him. Yurren pulled on his night shirt, running a hand through his hair as he did.

"Yurren?" Elegy knocked on the bathroom door.

"You can come in."

She pushed the door open. She was in a simple white night gown and she was biting her lip. "U-um well, are you sure about this?"

"Yes Elegy, I'm sure."

"I don't mind taking the couch! Or I can return to my card-"

"No, no, I said it's fine."

"B-but well-"

"I'll be fine. You three just take my bed."

"Oooouuuuu..." Elegy chewed her lip, looking back and forth quickly.

Pulling open the cabinet drawer, he pulled out a case of lip balm and tossed it to Elegy, who promptly dropped it. "Put that on your lip. It's starting to look chapped."

She took a deep breath, but simply sighed, deciding there was no point in arguing back anymore. "Alright...good night Yurren."

"Good night, sleep well." He shook the rest of the shower water out of his hair and brushed his teeth before returning to the empty family room and the couch, now piled up with blankets and pillows. He slid under the pile and stared up at the ceiling. Things were going to get quite a bit more hectic for awhile. Not anything he wasn't used to, of course. But...this did mean he'd have to spend extra money on food, and he'd have to remember Yuno and Yuji's school schedules and whatever else may come up in the mean time...

Until he finally fell asleep, Yurren spent the night planning out his budget and schedule. He had a long week ahead of him.


	2. He is Ryuno Fujiwara!

"Hey, you're Ryuno, right?"

Yuno looked up from his lunch. The person who had addressed him was the new transfer student. He was tall and thin with a shaved bald head. "You can just call me Yuno. What's your name again?"

"I'm Steve." He held out his hand, firmly shaking Yuno's.

"Alright. What do you need Steve?"

It was lunchtime. The cafeteria was packed with students, so Yuno opted to eat in the empty classroom instead. He wasn't expecting to see anyone here, let alone have them talk to him.

"I'm new to this city. Can you explain the rules you use?'

"Rules? Oh, you mean our format for Duel Monsters?"

"That's the one!"

"Oh well. To start with, cards can't activate their effects the turn they are sent to the graveyard from the deck if they were sent by their owner's card effect."

"Could you elaborate?" Steve pulled up a chair and sat in it backwards.

"Okay. Say I sent 'Shadoll Beast' to the graveyard using a card like 'Foolish Burial,' it's effect wouldn't activate, but if I used something like 'Polymerization' or 'Card Destruction,' it's effect would activate."

"I see...what about Link Summoning?"

"You can only Link Summon a certain amount of times. The combined Link Rating of the monsters you summon can't exceed 6, and you can't control Link Monsters whose total Link Rating is greater than 6." Yuno, noticing Steve's confusion, elaborated. "Say I summoned a Link 1, then I summoned a Link 2. The Total Link Rating would've been 3, so now I can't summon any Link Monster whose Link Rating would take my Total Link Rating above 6. I also can't control Link Monsters whose Total Link Rating is over 6."

Steve nodded slowly. "Alright...what about Pendulums?"

"This one can get a little long, so pay attention: First, the Pendulum Zones have been returned. Second, monsters Pendulum Summoned from the Extra Deck don't go into the Extra Monster Zone, they go to the Main Monster Zone."

"Oh great. So they're busted again."

"Not at all! A new rule limits the power of Pendulums: Pendulum Durability."

"What's that?"

"Here..." Yuno pulled out his deck box. Flipping the lid off, he fingered through his cards before pulling out a small stack. "Let's take this card, my 'Odd-Eyes Mirage Dragon-'"

"Odd-Eyes?!"

Yuno cringed at Steve's tone. Everyone reacted that way. Odd-Eyes were used by one of the heroes that saved this reality, giving his life to do so. It was an unspoken taboo against using the decks of the heroes, with it being considered disrespectful or cheating, as they had many one-of-a-kind cards and as such, having another copy of one usually meant having to use a bootleg card.

But Yuno's cards weren't bootlegs, they were just as real as anyone else's. He didn't know why he had all these, supposedly, impossible to get cards. He's had them for as long as he could remember, and he adored these cards, and he wasn't going to stop using them just because of what some people said.

"Focus. 'Mirage Dragon' is a level three. This means it's starting durability is 3. If I were to use this to Pendulum Summon," Yuno set 'Mirage Dragon' on the desk and pulled out another card from the stack, placing it across from it. That card was 'Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon.' Steven gaped at the card and Yuno plowed on, "If I were to Pendulum summon using these cards, the cards' Pendulum Durability will decrease by 1. No matter how many or how few monsters I Pendulum Summon using these two, their durability will decrease by 1."

Steven nodded slowly, his eyes still glued to Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon.

"When a card's Pendulum Durability hits 0, it experiences a 'Pendulum Break.' A card that goes through a Pendulum Break is sent from the Pendulum Zone to the Graveyard."

"Is that all? That's not that bad-"

"A 'Broken' Pendulum Monster is no longer treated as a Pendulum Monster. Even if you shuffle the card into your deck, add it to your hand, summon it from the Graveyard, etc. that monster can not be used to Pendulum for the rest of the duel. Also, that monster can't be Pendulum Summoned."

"Is there any way to restore durability?"

"If a Pendulum Monster in the Pendulum Zone leaves the Pendulum Zone before it breaks, its durability is reset, but it's a huge waste of time and effort to keep rotating what's in your Pendulum Zone just to keep it from breaking. It's better to just Pendulum Summon smartly, actually determine whether it's worth it to Pendulum Summon or if you can just do without it."

"I see..." Steven wasn't listening. He was still staring at 'Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon.' "How'd you get that?"

Yuno picked up his 'Odd-Eyes' cards and returned them to his deck box. "I don't know. I've always had them."

"Bullshit." The gruff voice made Yuno jump. Spinning around, he spotted the bulking figure of Ronin, flanked by his cronies as always. Ronin was tall and thick. He had beady green eyes and his black hair was shaved into a crisp buzz cut. He strode closer, pulling 'Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon' from the box. "This is just a cheap knock-off."

"No it isn't! What are you doing here?"

"Lunch is almost over, so we decided to come and say hi to our good friend." His cronies snickered. Ronin towered over Yuno, looking at his 'Odd-Eyes' like it personally offended him. "It's disgusting that you would use all these bootlegs."

Yuno stood up, but was still a good foot shorter than Ronin. "They aren't bootlegs! They're just as real as any other! Bootlegs don't work in duel disks, but mine do!"

"So it's a high quality bootleg!"

"I told you: They! Are! Not! Bootlegs!"

Ronin's meaty hand slammed against Yuno's cheek, knocking him into his desk. "You're so full of shit. There was only one 'Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon,' and it was destroyed. But you're telling me that you somehow not only have one of these cards but," Ronin's cronies grabbed Yuno's deck box. They shuffled through the cards till they pulled out two more 'Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragons.' "You have three."

"I'm telling the truth! Give them back! Steve hel-" Yuno turned to the chair Steve sat, or had sat, as it was now empty.

Ronin chuckled, "Seems he had the brains to run off. Now, time to purge these cards." He snatched the 'Odd-Eyes' his friend and gripped them between his hands. "Say good-bye to-"

Yuno threw himself against Ronin with all his strength, knocking him over. He pulled his cards free and returned them to his box, snapping it shut and clutching it to his chest.

He stood and made a break for the door, but one of Ronin's gang cut him off, clothes lining him in the throat.

"Yer going to pay for that! You stupid pu-"

The door to the class room opened and students began to filter in. At the front of the cue was an utterly beautiful girl with short, wavy hair that curtained her well-defined face perfectly. Her small mouth was curled into a scowl and her eyes flashed with rage. "What are you doing to him?!"

Ronin and his lackeys backed away from Yuno. "Ange... W-we were just-"

Ange ignored them, rushing over to help Yuno up. "Are you alright?"

"Now that you're here," Yuno chuckled weakly and Ange giggled. "Thank you, Ange."

The rest of the class started to filter in, Ronin and his group migrated to their desks in the back. Ange stubbornly helped Yuno to his seat, sitting down beside him.

"You really need to stand up for yourself Yuno. Why don't you tell the teacher?"

"Why don't you tell her for me? If I tell on them..." Yuno shuddered, still clutching his deck box to his chest.

Ange growled. "It's your problem dude. You have to stand up for yourself! I can't do that for you."

Yuno sighed again. He could feel Ronin's eyes burning into the back of his head. He was going to get it after class...he could feel it.

* * *

The moment the last bell rang, Yuno jumped up. He uttered a rushed farewell to Ange and ran out the classroom. He could hear the thundering of their feet as they chased him. He burst out the school and into the front parking space.

"Get back here!"

Yuno ducked around a group of gossiping girls and looked around desperately. Where were they?! They were supposed to be here!

'Wait...who'd he even send? Oh, God...' If Yuren sent Bloom, Opera, Prima, Score, or Tamtam he was pretty much dead.

["Ha ha, what's wrong Yuno? You need your baby sister to protect you?"]

'Please, please! Tell me you sent Elegy or Aria or-'

"There you are."

Yuno's heart leapt as Canon approached him from the crowd of students. She was drawing the attention of the students, who were pointing out her odd skin color, clothes, and hair, but Yuno couldn't be any happier to see her. Because, Canon of all the Divas...

"Found you Yuno! Who's this weirdo?"

"You're one to talk fatass."

...didn't take shit from anyone.

Ronin reared back, his pudgy face twisting in rage as his lackeys sneered from over his shoulders. "Excuse me?"

"I said you're one to talk fatass. I guess the only thing you can listen to is your stomach." She said smoothly, digging into her ear with her finger.

"Who the hell are you, weird colored freak?!"

"Oof. Hope you don't say that to all people who aren't white." Canon pulled her finger out, a clump of ear wax on it. "Ew." She wiped her finger on Ronin's chest. The crowd who'd gathered around Canon gasped and 'ooooh-ed' as Ronin swelled with rage, turning bright red. Yuno couldn't contain his smile. This was amazing! Take THAT Ronin! Canon was awe-

"Canon! There you are!"

Oh, God no.

Mozarta pushed through the crowd. She gasped when she found Yuno, quickly sweeping him into a hug. "Found you! We've been looking all over for you Yuno! Canon, can you go get Soprano?" Canon shrugged and left, much to Yuno's horror. Mozarta's eyes fell upon Ronin and his friends. "Who are these people? Are they your friends?"

"Y-Yes ma'am! We're good friends." Ronin said quickly, a mischievous smile curling his face as his lackeys nodded in agreement.

"We're no-!"

"That's wonderful! I'm glad to hear you finally have some friends Yuno." The crowd snickered. "Is there something you wanted with Yuno, dear?"

"Yeah! I wanted to duel him."

"I'm not in the dueling mood." Yuno muttered.

Mozarta rubbed Yuno's head, looking genuinely concerned. "When are you not in the dueling mood? Are you alright dear?"

"I'm fine."

"Maybe dueling them would cheer you up! There's nothing better than a friendly duel!"

"Yeah, come on Yuno! A friendly duel~" Ronin chuckled, slapping Yuno on the back and making him cringe violently.

"Ahhh crap. We gotta go Ronin." One of lackeys grumbled. "Tell us how you beat him tomorrow."

"See ya boys."

"Oh-ho! Quite presumptuous to assume you'll win!" Mozarta said. "Yuno accepts your challenge!"

"WHAT?!"

"Awesome! Thanks, Yuno's mom!"

"Oh dear I'm no-"

"Let's meet out at the Duel Fields. I'll give you 15 minutes to organize your deck. See you there, _buddy."_

* * *

"How exciting!" Mozarta said, pacing back and forth between the lockers of the changing room. Yuno sat on the bench, shuffling his deck with extreme prejudice. Soprano sat on the other side of the bench and Canon was leaning on a row of lockers with her arms folded. "A duel between friends! You know Yuno, I don't get to actually watch a lot of duels because I'm usually in them, so I'm very excited to see this!"

"Mm-hmm."

"...?" Soprano tilted her head, staring right at Yuno and making him shiver. Soprano wasn't a bad person, but the fact she never spoke combined with the fact she always had her eyes covered freaked him out to no end. "..."

"Yuno, dueling between friends is a great way to-"

"He's not my freaking friend!" Yuno shouted, his hand pushed through his deck and shot cards out all over the floor. "Argh! DAMMIT!" He fell to his knees and began picking them up, Soprano joining him. He cast a glance up to Canon. "Gonna help?"

"Nah I'm good."

"Wait, that portly boy wasn't your friend?" Mozarta stopped pacing and looked at Yuno in concern.

"No he isn't Moza!"

"Then who is-"

"He's a bully! He's always messing with me! He makes fun of my height, my hair, and most of all my cards!"

Mozarta gasped. Canon rolled her eyes. "It was pretty obvious. How'd you not get that Mozarta?"

Mozarta held her baton in both hands, wringing it between her fingers. "I-I never-"

"I didn't want to duel him because I didn't want to lose. Now I have no freaking choice!"

"..."

"Soprano's right. You could always drop out little dude."

"Then I'll just be called a coward!" Yuno snatched his cards away from Soprano and resumed shuffling, his pace slowing down and his shoulders drooping. "Being a loser might be better than being a coward."

"Yuno...I'm sorry. I didn't know..."

"What's even the point? I'm just going to get my ass kicked..."

"Says who?" Canon shifted her weight and continued. "You haven't lost yet, man. You haven't even started!"

"You saw how I dueled yesterday! You were there! I lost fifteen times in a row!"

"Yeah, to Yuren."

"What does it matter who I lost to?! I still freaking lost!"

Mozarta crept forward, kneeling down next to Yuno. She reached out to hug Yuno, but he moved away. "Dear...you shouldn't compare yourself to Yuren."

"Why?! Because he's better than me?!"

"Yes."

Yuno froze. He wasn't expecting such an honest and straightforward answer.

"Yuno, I know it can be demoralizing, but losing to Yuren doesn't mean much. He was the World Champion after all."

"And I don't think that fat kid was ever a World Champ."

"Still-"

"Of course you aren't going to be as good as one of the best, it's only natural. But comparing yourself to them isn't healthy dear. You should, instead of focusing on what others can do, focus on the things you can do. Use opportunities like these to get better, till you reach the skill level you want to be at."

"..."

Mozarta reached forward and pulled Yuno into a hug, pressing him into the softness of her dress. "Yuno, I'm sorry I got you into this mess. But, I'm positive you can win this duel. Don't give up, you can do this. I believe in you."

"Yo, the duel's about to start. Mozarta, let's go find somewhere to sit." Canon prodded Mozarta's shoulder. She nodded at Canon and Canon beckoned to Soprano, who stood up. "See you outside Yuno."

"See you." Mozarta stood up, giving Yuno a pat on the head as the three of them walked out. With that, they left Yuno on his own. He sat on his knees, looking at his deck. His eyebrows furrowed and his lip trembled.

'Of course you aren't going to be as good as one of the best...use opportunities like these to get better...'

Yuno nodded to himself, a confident curl pulling his lips into a smirk. "You're right. Thanks Mozarta." Yuno stood up. His D-Pad's deck slot popped open expectantly. He pushed his deck in, securing it firmly with a solid *click!* Pulling the strap around his wrist, he snapped it together, making sure it was upright and ready for the duel. "I'm going to win this..."

With that, Yuno left the locker rooms.

He strode resolutely out onto the dirt dueling recess yard. Duel fields were drawn in chalk along the length of the yard in rows of three. Yuno spotted Ronin waiting at the other end of a duel field near the fence, just by the gate back to school. Mozarta, Canon, and Soprano were standing against the metal fence. Mozarta beckoned to Yuno when she spotted him, indicating the field just in front of her. Yuno took his place across from Ronin, his heart was beating loudly in his ears.

"Good luck dear!"

"Kick his ass Yuno!"

"..."

"I'll show him what I've got!" A blazing red light pushed through the duel disk, revealing a long straight plate that curved back near the very end.

The deck slot was located near the very end of the glowing energy plate. "Let's do this Ronin!"

"With pleasure. I'll go first, unless you have something to say about it."

"I don't."

"As usual."

|Turn 1: |

|Ronin: 4000|  
|Yuno: 4000|

Ronin checked his hand and grinned smugly. He grabbed a card and held it out, announcing: "If I have no spell or trap cards in my graveyard, then I can Special Summon this big guy, Superheavy Samurai Big Waraji!"

Ronin slammed his card onto the disk, the middle zone glowed golden and from it came Big Waraji. It's metal body creaked and groaned as it arrived onto the scene. Yuno's duel disk flashed it's ATK and DEF points on screen: {ATK:800/**DEF:**1300}

"Big Waraji has another effect! It counts a two tributes for the tribute summon of a Machine-Type monster, and I have just the monster." Ronin wiped out another card and slammed it down. "I summon Superheavy Samurai Big Benki in Attack mode!"

Big Waraji shuddered violently before disappeared into a shower of lights, the lights scattering off, only to freeze and reform as a massive robot in samurai armor, wielding a sharp glaive. The monster looked down at Yuno, steam billowing from its mask. (**ATK:**0/DEF:3500)

"Why would you summon a monster with 0 ATK in Attack mode?"

"Because, moron, when Big Benki is summoned, I can change his battle position to Defense mode! Show him Benki!" Benki's began slowly lifted his massive leg and stomped it back down, shaking the ground. Yuno stumbled as Benki slowly moved itself, taking a defensive stance and holding its glaive in front of itself. "Ha ha ha! Good luck breaking through this!"

"I don't need luck, I have skill!"

|Turn 2: |

|Ronin: 4000|  
|Yuno: 4000|

Yuno ripped the card off the top of his deck. "It's my move! I draw!" Yuno took a glance at the card, smirking to himself.

"Alright, I'll start by activating the Spell card Sacred Sword of Seven Stars!" Yuno slapped the card onto his duel disk. In the sky above Yuno, seven blue stars shone brightly, lines connecting the stars and forming the Big Dipper. There was a gleam between the middle section and an ornate golden sword fell from the sky, stabbing into the ground before him.

"This holy blade allows me to draw two cards, if I let it banish 1 level 7 monster first. So I'll banish," He flipped a card in his fingers around, "Odd-Eyes Saber Dragon!" Yuno tossed the card up and pulled the sword from the ground, using it to split Odd-Eyes Phantom in one clean cut! The card dissolved, it's pieces flying into Yuno's back pocket (where he kept his banished cards) before drawing two more cards.

Yuno took his two new cards and crashed them down onto his duel disk! The plate glowed red as it extended outwards, accepting the two pendulum cards.

"I set the Pendulum scale with two of my favorites! Here comes Odd-Eyes Persona Dragon (Scale 1) and Odd-Eyes Mirage Dragon (Scale 8)!" The two dragons emerged from their cards in a burst of blue light. Surrounded in blue starry pillars, the two monsters roared in unison as a sigil appeared above them, slowly rotating.

Yuno held out two more cards, grinning confidently as he announced to Ronin: "Now I'll Pendulum Summon these two, here comes Dark Resonator {Level 3-**ATK:**1300/DEF:300} and Xiangsheng Magician {Level 4-**ATK:**500/DEF:1500}, both of them in Attack mode!"

The sigil above the two dragons spilled open and two streams of light shot out of betwixt the sky blue pillars, crashing into the ground and revealing the two monsters. Xiangsheng straightened herself and nodded to Yuno, directing her bow at Benki. Dark Resonator floated up to Yuno, pushing his head into Yuno's hand. "Alright," Yuno stroked Dark Resonator's head, making the Fiend bounce in joy before returning to its place on the field.

"Now, I'll tune my Dark Resonator to my Xiangsheng Magician to Syncrho Summon!" Yuno raised his hand to the sky as Dark Resonator tapped its tuning fork and mallet together, making them ring out in harmony. He rose up, his body glowing green and splitting into three green rings that circled above Yuno's outstretched hand. Xiangsheng launched herself, towards the rings, turning into four balls that floated into the center of the rings. A great pillar of blinding bright light burst out! With a triumphant screech, a large bipedual red dragon flung itself from the pillar, landing before Yuno. The dragon reared it's head back and roared. It's long tail crashed against the ground, snapping like a whip as it cracked through the air.

"Come on out, Odd-Eyes Meteorburst Dragon!"

{Level 7: **ATK:**2500/DEF:2000}

"I'll activate Meteorburst's effect!" On cue, Meteorburst Dragon directed its gaze upon Odd-Eyes Mirage Dragon and howled at it, fire leaking from its jaws. Mirage Dragon roared back and leapt down, it's pillar of light disappearing, and landing beside Meteorburst. Yuno pointed at Mirage Dragon announced, "It allows me to special summon one of the monsters in my Pendulum Zones, and I chose Mirage Dragon {Level 3: ATK:1200/**DEF:**600}! I Special Summon him in defense mode!"

"Finally, I set one card face down." Yuno slid a face-down card into a slot under the duel disk's glowing plate. "I end my turn, you're up Ronin."

|Turn 3: |

|Ronin: 4000|  
|Yuno: 4000|

"I draw!"

Ronin slid his new card into his hand and pulled a second from his hand. "I summon the Superheavy Samurai Blue Brawler! {Level 4-**ATK:**0/DEF:2000} Just like Big Benki, Blue Brawler can change its battle position when summoned, so I'll switch it to defense mode."

The blue robot nodded in response to Ronin's command, stomping down and taking a sumo stance. Ronin cackled and pointed at Meteorburst. "Time to battle!"

"Wh-"

"Big Benki, attack that Odd-Eyes Meteorburst Dragon!"

"Hold-"

Big Benki rose its glaive high above his head and swung it down at Meteorburst dragon. Meteorburst roared and grabbed the glaive's blade between its crimson jaws. Meteorburst's tail snaked across the ground, curling around Benki's massive foot. The robot's joints groaned as it lifted its foot free and stomped own on Meteorburst's tail, making it roar in pain. Benki ripped its glaive free and swinging it back down at Meteorburst's neck-

"I activate the Quick Effect of my Odd-Eyes Mirage Dragon!"

The blade cut clean through Meteorburst's neck.

Ronin laughed again. "HA HA HA! Your fake ass cards don't stand a chan-" Meteorburst's body disapated into colored mist, vanishing on the wind. Meteorburst stood just behind that mirage perfectly unharmed, it's red and green eyes gleaming. Big Benki returned to its position on Ronin's field. "What? Why isn't that monster destroyed!?"

"I acti-"

"You filthy cheat!"

"Mirage-"

"I can't believe-!"

"SHUT UP!" Canon screamed from the sidelines, making Ronin flinch and cower away from the fairy. "Could you listen to Yuno for a second?!"

"Now dear, you shouldn't ye-"

"Save it Mozarta."

Yuno gave Canon and thumbs up and a grin. "Thanks Canon!"

Canon returned the thumbs up. "Give him hell Yuno!"

Yuno nodded and returned his attention to Ronin and his machine monsters. "As I was TRYING TO SAY; Mirage Dragon's effect can protect one 'Odd-Eyes' monster I control from being destroyed the first time it would be by battle or card effect."

"S-so..."

"So my Mirage Dragon saved my Meteorburst Dragon!"

"Even if your dragon survived, you still take damage!"

Yuno grunted as he watched his life points fall down to 3000. He scowled and returned his attention to Ronin.

"Next, Blue Brawler will destroy Mirage Dragon!"

"Wait ho-"

Blue Brawler grunted in response and leapt at Mirage Dragon. It roared, trying to defend himself with its claws, but its pitiful attack's scraped off Blue Brawler's armor. Brawler slammed it's massive gloved hands into Mirage Dragon, blowing it into pieces.

Yuno slid Mirage into his extra deck as Blue Brawler returned to Big Benki's side.

"How are your monsters able to attack in Defense mode?" Yuno asked, squinting at the massive robots towering above Meteorburst.

"Because of Big Benki's special ability! As long as I control him, all of my Samurai's can attack while in defense mode and I get to use their DEF during Damage Calculation!"

'So, if I wipe out the big boy he won't be able to attack from defense position.' Yuno thought, chewing his thumb's nail as he looked over the hulking Big Benki and Ronin's smug smile. 'Sounds like that's this deck's main gimmick. If it focuses on defense mode, then my ace should be able to wipe out his entire field!'

"I end my turn, you're up!"

|Turn 4: |

|Ronin: 4000|  
|Yuno: 3000|

"I draw!" Yuno whipped his next card out, sliding it into his hand. He took his a second look at th-

"You can do it honey!"

"Yes! Thank you Mozarta!"

Anyway where wa-

"Don't let his-"

"Mozarta, please I'm trying to focus!"

"Oh-" Mozarta shoulders slumped. She looked at her feet (Or at least at the ground, her massive dress hid her feet from her gaze) and fiddled with her baton, her face pulled down into a look of guilt. "I'm-I'm sorry..."

Soprano rubbed Mozarta's back and pulled her into a hug. "..." Canon patted her back, casting a silent glare at Yuno, who groaned loudly and rubbed his temples. "!" Soprano pointed at Yuno!

"You're right, he did the Yuren thing!"

...

"I'm going to set my Odd-Eyes Phantasma Dragon {Scale:0} on the Pendulum Scale." Yuno slapped a card onto the Pendulum Zone left vacant by Mirage dragon. Once again a blue pillar of light shot out of the ground as a skeletal dragon, with wings bedecked in red, green, blue, and yellow colored orbs and similarly-colored glowing wings of light, shot from its card and took its place beside Odd-Eyes Persona Dragon. The blue sigil reformed in the sky, slowing rotating, waiting. "Next I activate my trap card, go Echo Oscillation!" Yuno slapped a button on his disk, and his face down card flipped up. The sigil between the two pillars of light transformed into a ticking bronze clock face, loud ticks echoed across the battlefield as it's hands slowly grinded across the face.

Yuno clenched his fist and pointed at Odd-Eyes Phantasma Dragon. "Echo Oscillation lets me destroy a card in my Pendulum Zone, then I get to draw a card! So I destroy my Phantasma Dragon!" Phantasma Dragon roared as it disappeared into a shower of light. Yuno moved the card to the extra deck and grabbed his next card. "I draw once more!"

"So you destroyed the card you just set?" Ronin's smug smirk grew even bigger as his chest swelled. "You know Yuno, I normally have a rule against dueling the handicapped, but I'll make an exception just for you."

"Do you also have a rule about dieting?" Canon shouted from the sidelines.

Yuno chuckled lightly, but shook his head. "Canon, it's dishonorable to insult your opponent like that." He chided her.

"He's not my opponent."

"Still, show him some respect."

"Hmph!"

Yuno looked at the card he just drew and a pang of pain hit his chest. This card...

('Look at all these stinking rip-off cards!')  
('I know right? How disrespectful.')

Yuno grit his teeth, his hand shook violently. 'Mozarta's right. I'll never get anywhere if I just sit around feeling sorry for myself! I'll get better, much better! Who cares what those bullies say, I know my monsters are the real deal!'

"I set Performapal Odd-Eyes Synchron {Scale - 6} on the Pendulum scale!" A small little thing made of gears and dressed in a silly bow and top hat popped into the Zone. It swept it's hat off and bowed to Ronin.

"Now, I Pendulum Summon my Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon {Level 7-**ATK:**2500/DEF:2000} and Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon {Level 7-**ATK:**2500/DEF:2000}! And they are both coming to the field in Attack Mode!" The bronze clock face opened open and two streaks of colored light crashed into the earth on either side of Meteorburst Dragon.

The two dragons reared their heads and roared, tails slapping the ground aggressively as they squared up against the glaive wielding robot. Ronin stiffened, his face twisting in rage as, a large red and white dragon burst forth. It landed on the ground before it, earth cracking beneath its talons. It reared back and howled to the heavens. Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon had two asymmetrical horns on it's back and gleaming red and green eyes that reflected a deep billowing rage. The dragon swung around, it's tail sweeping across the dirt field and sending dust over Ronin. Odd-Eyes lowered it's head to Yuno.

"You too?"

Odd-Eyes growled.

"Fine, fine!" Yuno scratched Odd-Eyes behind the horns. It purred in satisfaction.

"Summon as many of your dragons as you want! You can't best my Big Benki's DEF!"

"I'll I take you up on that offer!" Yuno swung his arm out, pointing at Odd-Eyes Synchron. "I activate the Pendulum Effect of Odd-Eyes Synchron! It lets me turn one of my 'Odd-Eyes' into a level one Tuner. So I transform my Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon into a Tuner!" Odd-Eyes Synchron bowed to Yuno from the Zone and pulled off his hat, directing it at Phantom Dragon. It slapped the back of his hat and sent a beam of green light out, which shot into Phantom, making it glow and growl. "Now I'll tune my Level 1 Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon with my Level 7 Odd-Eyes Meteorburst Dragon to bring out my Ace Card!"

Phantom and Meteourburst launched themselves upwards, Phantom transforming into a single green ring as Meteorbust flew between the ring, exploding into seven glowing orbs of light that turned into a burning crimson. The ring spun faster and faster, a massive pillar of orange-red fire erupting from the ground, passing through the ring and orbs.

"The Earth shakes and mountains burn to ash! Creation itself trembles as this mighty beast roars!"

Yuno flipped the card from his extra deck and slapped it down onto the field. The flames were banished by a muscular arm pushing through the flames, its red wings blowing the flames aside as it howled, it's billowing roar louder than any other dragon Yuno had summoned thus far. The black dragon descended to rest beside Odd-Eyes Pendulum, its black body muscular and toned, out lined in red accent marks that decorated it's body. Crimson flames leaked from its jaws as it reared it's three horned head and thrashed it's tail about.

"Behold, The soul of the King: Red Dragon Archfiend!" {Level 8-**ATK:**3000/DEF:2500}

"..." Soprano clapped.

"Way to go dear!" Mozarta clapped also, smile beaming as bright as the sun.

"Kick their ass Red Dragon!"

Red Dragon eyes flicked to focus on Canon, silently nodding to her.

"You ready for this Red Dragon?" Yuno asked. Red Dragon turned around to face Yuno, nodding confidently as it's jaws curled upwards in what could be mistaken for a confident grin.

"H-how...how can you have that card!?" Ronin was, his words shaking as he stared at the legendary dragon before him. "That card is one of a kind!"

"I couldn't tell you. I've had all these cards for as long as I can remember. Not that you believe me of course."

"It isn't even an Odd-Eyes monster! Why do you use it!?"

Yuno admired his Red Dragon for a brief moment. "Because...there's a man I admire more than anyone else. He didn't just fight for his friends, he fought for himself too! He was strong, awesome, and brave. The one true King of Turbo Dueling! So no matter what deck I use, even if it doesn't work with it," Yuno flung his arm out and declared, "I will always have my Red Dragon Archfiend!" Red Dragon roared in agreement, making the ground shake beneath him.

"Red Dragon Archfiend, let's turn this duel around! Attack Big Benki! Absolute Powerforce!" Red Dragon roared, lowered it's head and with a flap of its massive wings, charged at Big Benki. It opened its palm, which exploded with flames. It slammed its palm into Big Benki. Benki blocked the blow with its glaive causing an explosion to rip through the ground and scatter dust across the playground. Yuno and Ronin both raised their arms to shield themselves from the shockwave.

"Moron! Even the legendary Red Dragon Archfiend can't beat my Big Benki's DEF!"

|Yuno: |  
|3000 » 2500|

"Maybe not, but his special effect can!"

"What?!"

"Red Dragon Archfiend, go! Fiend Meteor!"

Red Dragon roared, twisting its body and soaring upwards. It's wings glowed with crimson fire and, with a flap, it shot flaming meteors down upon Ronin's monsters. His field was covered in explosions and flames as the meteors tore through his Superheavy Samurais, destroying both of them a leaving his field wipe open.

"W-wh-what happened to my monsters?!"

Red Dragon Archfiend returned to its place before Yuno as he explained, "After Red Dragon Archfiend battles a Defense Position monster, it destroys all Defense Position monsters on your field!"

"That's not-"

"That leaves your field wide open! Odd-Eyes, you're up!" Odd-Eye roared. It's chest swelled as black and red flames spewed out from its mouth. "Direct Attack! Odd-Eyes, hit him with Spiral Flame Strike!" Odd-Eyes lowered it's head and shot a spiraling stream of black and red fire that flew at Ronin, engulfing him in flames.

"AARGHHHH!" Ronin flew backwards, falling over himself and crashing onto the ground.

|Ronin: |  
|4000 » 1500|

"Arhg...s-since I took battle damage, I can summon Superheavy Samurai Prepped Defense (ATK:100/**DEF:**2100) from my hand in defense mode..." He weakly slid a card onto the field, and a pink and green robot appeared in the field. It twirled its glaive between its hands like a baton and held it across its chest defensively.

"I set one card face down and end my turn. You're up Ronin."

|Turn 5: |

|Ronin: 1500|  
|Yuno: 2500|

Ronin pulled himself to his feet, growling. "You'll pay for this you runt! I draw!" Ronin lowered the card and sneered. "This is the end for you and your dragon! Since I don't have any cards in my Graveyard, I can Special Summon my second Big Waraji!"

"Another one?"

"You got that right Yuno!" He summoned forth Big Waraji (ATK:800/**DEF:**1800), taking its place beside Prepped Defense. "Next I Special Summon my Superheavy Samurai Trumpeter! (**ATK:**300/DEF:300)" He slapped out a second card, which transformed into a small red robot carrying a large conch shell like trumpet. "I can Special Summon

Trumpeter when I don't have a spell or trap cards in my Graveyard."

"I tune my Level 2 Trumpeter to my Level 5 Big Waraji and Level 3 Prepped Defense!"

Trumpeter split into two green rings that hovered above Ronin's hand. The other two machines entered the rings, transforming into 8 balls of light that burst into a pillar of light.

"Now I Synchro Summon the Level 10 Superheavy Samurai Warlord Susanowo! (ATK:2400/**DEF:**3600)" A new Machine burst from the light, crashing into the ground and sending chunks of earth flying everywhere. The monster stood up straight, it's green and golden armor gleaming in the evening sun. Susanowo's red eyes lit up and it lowered it's naginata to point it at Red Dragon Archfiend. "Now I will equip Susanowo with Superheavy Samurai Soulbeads!" He slid the cards into the spell compartment of his duel disk. First, a red ring of beads with a magatama in the center appeared around Susanowo's neck.

"Okay, what does that do?"

"HA HA HA! As long as my Samurai had it's Soulbeads, it can't be destroyed by battle or card effects once per turn! So," Ronin jabbed a fat finger at Red Dragon, and boasted, "Meaning your Archfiend is useless!"

"What?!"

Canon added her valuable input: "Oh well, that's not good."

"Susanowo, destroy that Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon first!" Susanowo's eyes shined and its massive body groaned into life. It stomped across the field towards Odd-Eyes, who roared defiantly and charged at Susanowo. The dragon shot a spiraling stream of searing flames that Susanowo simply cleaved apart using its naginata. The robot's body creaked as it raised its weapon above its head, it spun the weapon over its head and swung it down, cleaving through Odd-Eyes' chest.

"Odd-Eyes! Ahhhgghh!" Yuno covered his face as dust blew into his eyes.

|Yuno: |  
|2500 » 1400|

"Next, I activate Susanowo's ability! It lets me take your face down and put it on MY field!"

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me."

"Hand it over wuss." Yuno grumbled, inputting some commands in his duel disk. After a moment, the Yuno's face down vanished, reappearing on Ronin's field. "Great, now let's see what it was..."

"That's-!"

"Hmmm...'Red Carpet' huh? It's no use to me, but more importantly," Ronin sneered, "It's no use to you!"

"You!"

"I end my turn. You're up, wimp."

|Turn 6: |

|Ronin: 1500|  
|Yuno: 1400|

"I draw!"

Yuno looked at his card and his heart soared. "I've got this game in the bag!"

"You're bluffing! There's no way you can beat my Susanowo!

"Watch me! I Pendulum Summon Odd-Eyes back from my Extra Deck!" The red dragon leapt out of it's card and landed next to Red Dragon Archfiend, howling to announce its arrival on the scene. {Level **7-ATK:**2500/DEF:2000} "Unfortunately, this means that Odd-Eyes Synchron suffers from a Pendulum Break, but it's all worth it to win this duel." Yuno slid Odd-Eyes Synchron into his graveyard before grabbing his next card. "Next I activate my spell card Pendulum Fusion!"

"Pendulum Fusion?"

"With this I can Fusion Summon a monster using cards I control and cards in my Pendulum Zones! So I fuse my Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon with my Odd-Eyes Persona Dragon!" The two dragons flew up from their positions and began circling one another, turning blue and orange and swirling into each other. A purple light shot forth from the vortex of colors, and out from the light came a green dragon with two sets of bright orange wings. It roared and soared into the sky, turning over and diving head first, descending to the ground in a tornado, dismissing the tornado by extending it's wings and roaring once more.

"I Fusion Summon, Odd-Eyes Vortex Dragon {Level 7-ATK:2500/**DEF:**3000}!"

"That weakling still can't stop my Susanowo!"

"That's where you're wrong!" Yuno pointed his palm at Ronin. "Once Vortex Dragon hits the field, it's effect activates and I get to send one monster on your field and back to your hand!"

"Don't tell me-"

"That's right! I'm returning your Susanowo to your Extra Deck!"

"You can't!" Ronin screeched in terror!

"Oh yes I can! Go Vortex Dragon, use your Dragonic Whirlwind to clear a path for Red Dragon Archfiend!" Vortex Dragon's mismatched eyes gleamed and it lifted off the ground. Forming a tornado with its wings, Vortex screeched and flung the tornado at Susanowo, who tried to protect itself with its arms, only to be blown away!

Ronin fell backwards, crawling away from Red Dragon Archfiend. "Don't do this! N-no! Stop it!"

"No mercy!" Yuno pointed at Ronin and roared, "Direct Attack! Absolute Powerforce!" Red Dragon howled and charged. It's fist alight in flames, it rammed it's flaming fist into Ronin.

"AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Ronin was sent tumbling backwards. He crashed against the ground, bouncing so hard that his duel disk flew off his arm, snapping against the ground and scattering cards all over the duel field.

|Ronin: |  
|1500 » 0|

"Phew..." Yuno wiped his forehead with the back of his hand, his duel disk flashing 'WIN' across its screen. "Looks like that's gam-"

"Congratulations!" Yuno was suddenly cushioned by softness on all sides. The three Divas had surrounded Yuno, holding him in a tight bear hug. Mozarta nuzzled her chin into his hair. "I knew you could do it!"

"T-thanks Mozarta...and sorry about earlier."

"It's alright dear, I understand."

"Way to go Nono!" Canon chuckled, thumping Yuno on the chest. "Heh."

Yuno thumped her back. "Glad to see you're as supportive as ever Canon."

"I aim to please." Canon fell silent, rubbing her head. "I feel like we're forgetting something."

"...Ronin!" Yuno broke out of the bear hug and ran to where Ronin sat. He was crawling about, picking up his cards. He turned and glared at Yuno, making him stop in his tracks. "Do you need any help?"

"What does it look like? Of course, I do!"

"Right, sorry. I'll-"

Ronin slapped Yuno's hand away from Superheavy Samurai Soulbang Cannon. "I don't need your stinking help! Just go away already!"

"You're a right ray of sunshine." Yuno growled. He turned on his heel to leave, but stopped to say, over his shoulder, "That was a fun duel."

"Whatever." Ronin picked up his last card, shuffling them all together into a big pile. He slid the stack into his deck box and walked off the Duel field, he didn't look back at Yuno as he left.

Mozarta walked up to Yuno, patting him on the back. "You did good Yuno, Yuren would be proud."

"Heh, thanks Mozarta."

Canon scratched the back of her head. She strolled up to Yuno and Mozarta, mumbling, "I still feel like we're forgetting something though..."

"...!" Soprano leapt forward and pulled at Moza's sleeves.

"What is it dear?"

Soprano put the tips of her index and thumb together and held her hand above her shoulder while spreading out her other fingers, making it look like she had

flowers on he-

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Mozarta grabbed her head and screamed in terror, making everyone jump! "WE LOST PRIMA!"

"Pr-prim-?"

Canon slammed her palm against her face! "I forgot all about her!"

"YOU MEAN WE CAN'T FIND PRIMA!?" Yuno yelled back, eyes wide in terror.

"I-if w-w-we c-a-ca-can't find her..."

"YUREN'S GOING TO KILL US!"

"Okay, okay we need a plan! You three look around the school yard and bus stops! I'll check inside!" Yuno, without waiting for an answer, ran off to the school building. He could already feel sweat spilling down his face as he threw open the doors and ran down the hall. He was honestly more worried about what Yuren would do to him if they didn't find Prima than he was during the duel. Yuno peeked within the windows of classrooms he ran by, but each one was empty. "Come on, come on! Where are you?"

A faint groaning reached his ears. Yuno spun around, skidding around a corner to see a gaggle of girls all huddled around the vending machine. "What the hell? No one's used that thing since they stuffed it with nothing but health food..." Yuno approached the girls and peered over their shoulders to see a small girl dressed in a flowery dress with flowers attached to her shoulders. Her eyes were closed and her stomach engorged, making her look pregnant. Food wrappers littered the floor around her and crumbs lingered on her lips. "Prima!" Yuno pushed through the crowd and dropped beside her.

Prima slowly opened her eyes and fixed her hazy gaze upon Yuno. "Uugghh...Y-yuno..."

"Prima, what happened?"

"T-tell...Ruugh...te-tell Yuren...I'm so-sorry..."

"Sorry? Sorry for what?!"

"I-I...ruined my...appetite...blegh" She fell back on the floor, tongune flopping out.

Yuno starred at tiny Prima, stunned into disbelief. He looked up to the girls and asked, "What happened to her?"

A brunette who was in Yuno's second period class, named Amy spoke up. "Oh I know! I started it!"

"Started what?"

"Oh well..."

[School had just ended, so I ran to the bathroom before going to Tennis practice. But since I forgot that it was cancelled today and that I forgot my phone, I just had to wait around for my Daddy to pick me up. Wait...what was-Oh okay! So I came out of the bathroom right? And I saw this weird little girl with green skin and blue hair and wearing just the cutest little dress ever! Oh she was so small and cute I just wanted to hug her up!

Anyway so like, she was standing in front of the vending machine and her belly was growling, you know, going 'grrrr' and stuff. I went up to her and like, I asked, "What's wrong little girl?"

And she was like, "I'm hungry, but I can't get this thing to work!" She then punched the glass really, really hard!

"You can't break into a vending machine, it's impossible!"

"It is?"

"Yes! You need money!"

"Oh..." The girl rubbed her belly and looked sad. "Yuren doesn't give me money anymore. He says I need to earn it back by being responsible first and that I shouldn't waste all my money on unhealthy snacks."

"EWW! Your daddy sounds like my step-mom and I hate that bitch!" And like, the girl looked at me funny, I guess it's because like, we had something in common,

I guess. "You know, I have lots of money, how about I buy you some snacks."

"R-really? Oh thank you so much!" A-and the girl jumped up and down and it was friggin' adroable! So I bought her a protein bar and O-M-G you should have seen her eat it! I-it reminded me of my hamster at home! It-its like, she held it like, in her hands and nibbled at it and it made she cheeks super puffed up, like my hamster at home, and her eyes got super big and cute and it was just the most adorable thing I've seen all day! After she finished her bar, I bought her another one so I could see that awesome cuteness again! Then I texted my friends, because like, I remembered I actaully didn't forget my phone, to come see this cutey-pie's hamster face, and we all just kept buying her snacks! It was so cute!]

Yuno starred at Amy, mouth gaping. He...he just...he couldn't. What the actual fu-

"Blargh...Y-yuno..." Prima tugged at his sleeves. "I think...Yu-Yuren knows...w-what he's talking about..." She belched loudly and fell back down.

"AAAAWWWWWWWWWWWW!" The girls around Prima squealed and crowded around closer.

"She's so cute!"

"Look at her little face~!"

"She burped like a baby doll~!"

"What kind of doll burps like tha-"

Yuno stood over Prima, trying to push some of the girls back. "She's not a toy!"

_"Blergh."_

The girls brushed past Yuno, throwing him aside to grab Prima and cuddle her up. Yuno deployed his duel disk and summoned Xiangsheng Magician. "Xiangsheng, go find Mozarta and the others!" Xiangsheng nodded and ran off. Yuno took another breath and tried to jump into the group of girls. There were general noises of disdain and annoyance as they pushed him back.

"He's got his duel disk out!"

"So he wants to duel then?"

"Fine! Let's all take him!"

"...w-wait wha-" Yuno wasn't ready for this. "N-no I was just-"

The whirring of no less than twenty duel disks powering on filled the hallway as the group of girls all focused their attention onto Yuno.

A blonde girl pulled a card from her duel disk. "I'll go first! By discarding my entire hand I can Special Summon Rocket Arrow Express {Level 10-**ATK:**5000/DEF:0} in Attack Mode!"

"Ah shit, here we go again..."

"I activate Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend's effect!" Yuno pointed at the gaggle of girls. "He destroys all Special Summoned monsters and deals 500 points of damage to my opponents! Meaning you all take about...5500 points of damage! I've won!"

The girls gasped and swore loudly, many of them groaning and throwing their cards to the ground.

"He beat us in one turn..."

"That card must be illegal!"

Yuno slid his deck back into it's box and deactivated his disk. "I won fair and square, now leave Prima alone!"

"Whaaaat? I don't recall saying I'd leave her alone if you won~" Amy replied mockingly, bending over Prima to pat her head.

"You've got to be kidding me!"

"No I'm Amy."

Yuno opened his mouth to respond, but was cut off by the arrival of none other than Canon, Xiangsheng just behind her. "Hey, Nono. Where's Prima?"

Yuno pointed at the gaggle of girls wordlessly and Canon admired them with a look of utter confusion. "What are they doing?"

"They stuffed her with food and won't let her leave."

Canon recoiled. "Ugh, I don't like it." She grunted. "Sounds like they're a bunch of entitled brats."

"What did you just-"

Canon ignored their protests and plowed trhrugh the gaggle. She dismissed their complaints and shoved girl after girl aside, finally reaching Prima in the center and lifting her up in her arms. The girls voiced their irritation, but Canon just forced her way back through to Yuno. "Why couldn't you do this yourself?"

"...W-well..." Yuno looked at the girls, lips pursed. If he was being honest, his social standing wasn't exactly amazing to begin with and he'd rather not upset the most prominent and powerful group of people in the school: girls.

"It's because your weak!" Canon poked Yuno in the chest.

"Oy!"

Canon cackled. "Let's go home weakling."

"I'm not weak! Dammit, wait up!"

* * *

Yuren was not happy.

"So let me get this straight," he growled, rubbing Prima's engorged stomach as she moaned in pain and fluffing up his pillows to make her more comfortable.

"Not only did you lose track of Prima, but you also let her eat an absurd amount of junk food. Not only that, but you let a group of middle schoolers play with her like was a toy."

"We-well, to be fair Yuren, it was all health food-"

Yuren cut off Yuno, "That doesn't make it any better!" Yuren hissed and rubbed his temples. "Do you know how long it will take for her to digest all this food?

Duel spirits don't use the bathroom Yuno!"

"I-I kno-"

"You know what that means Yuno?"

"I-"

"That means that they don't produce waste Yuno! Do you know what THAT means?"

"I d-don't li-"

"THAT means that they use everything they eat as energy Yuno! And THAT means everything they don't use is stored as excess energy! And do you know what having

excess energy means Yuno?"

"That you'll stop asking rhetorical-"

"THAT means that they could (potentially) get fat! And being fat isn't healthy Yuno! It's VERY unhealthy! It reduces lifespans Yuno! If Prima dies by age 30 I'm going to beat your ass so hard-!"

"Why the hell are you even getting on to me?" Yuno jabbed his finger at Mozarta, Canon, and Soprano who were all standing in the corner and trying to look small.

"They're the ones that lost her!"

"I'm getting onto all of you!"

"Then why do you keep addressing me?!"

"You deserve it."

"WHAT THE HELL?!"

_"Blarg...uggh..."_ Prima reached up to Yuren, who clutched her hand suddenly. "Y-Yuuu..."

"What is it Prima?"

"S-ssscorree..." She groaned. "I-I w-want Scooore." Yuren nodded and gestured wordlessly to Elegy, who nodded and left his bedroom returning just a moment later with Score.

Score was wringing her hands and looked worried. She peeked over the top of the bed at Prima. "Wh-what is it?"

"Sscooore! _*Urrp!*_ I'm fat...ugh..."

"I-I see that."

Prima slowly shook her head, looking very, very serious. "I'm n-not happy..."

"...oh-oh. Oh! Oooh, oh-okay that's-" Score looked at Yuren. When he looked back at her, she turned away, blushing.

"...I'm fixing nothing but salads for the next week."

"Come on Yuren that's not fair-!"

"YOU BROUGHT THIS UPON YOURSELVES!"

The next week was filled with nothing but dishes of various salads and vegetables. It was truly a week of nothing but suffering.


	3. The Innocent Kyujiro Fujiwara!

Despite the circumstances regarding his stay at Yurren's home, Yuji was having a lot of fun. Tamtam and Score were always willing to play, even when everyone else was busy (or pretending to be busy in the case of Aria) and Yurren always made awesome food, even better than his mom's (though Yurren has had a lot of practice)!

Also, the deadpan way he talked led to some pretty funny moments! Best of all, when Yurren wasn't super busy, he'd give him some amazing dueling advice!

"It's important to keep your cards to your chest. No I don't mean literally, what I mean is that you don't want to show your opponent all of your tricks right away. Keep them guessing and unsure of what you'll do next."

"When dueling, play recklessly, but cautiously. That...doesn't make much sense, does it? What I mean is...keep attacking and be offensive, because if you show your opponent mercy they could easily find a way to counterattack, but don't be reckless, if you're too aggressive you could easily fall for a trap and be left helpless. Yeah, disregard the first time I said 'reckless,' I was wrong."

"Don't be foolish. Look over every card carefully. More so than either me or Yuno, your deck focuses on your strong Extra Deck, make sure you have every effect and strategy memorized for bringing out your ace monster."

"Every deck has a starting point, a monster from which all your subsequent plays will be based around. For Yuno, those monsters are his Red Dragon Archfiend and his 'Pendulum Dragons'. For you...it's this bad boy. Make sure you always bring him out as soon as possible, from there you can build up your field properly. This is your ace monster, don't forget that. You might have cards stronger than him, but this is your ace."

But most important of all...

"Never listen to your brother, he's an idiot."

Yuji really, really liked Yurren's 'family.' They were always fun to be around. They fought a lot, but it was different from when his parents fought, there was a good-natured air about their arguments. It was hard to explain, but it felt like no matter how much they tussled and fought, they'd still have each others backs. Yurren had once described it as 'close enough to fight,' and while that didn't make a lot of sense to Yuji, it suited the Melodious girls extremely well.

It was all fun, until class the next day, where the first problem appeared before Yuji.

* * *

Mrs. Tsukumo clapped her hands together, gathering the kids' attention to her. Mrs. Tsukumo was tall and pretty, she had dark green hair that was swept to the right and curled down the side of her head and a neat little bun on the left side. She had hazel eyes and a she wore an oddly shaped golden pendant with curves and a ring at the top.

"Listen up everyone! I have a very special announcement to make!" The class gathered at her feet, sitting criss-cross applesauce on the Listening Rug. "You all remember the Pizza Party?"

There was a general murmur of agreement, except from Lily. Lily sat next to Yuji and was short, even among the other kids, with a head of bright pink hair with blue roots that curtained her young face. "DID WE WIN?!" She screeched excitedly, bouncing up and down.

"Now, now Lily, calm down. Yes we did wi-"

The class exploded into cheers and screams of joy. Kids bounced up and down, dancing and high-fiving their best friends. "We did it!" Yuji yelled as he hugged Li, who screamed back and hugged him.

"Settle down, settle down..." Mrs. Tsukumo groaned and rubbed her cheek. She took a deep breath and stomped her foot. "Settle down or none of you will get any pizza!" Silence settled over the class immediately as they sat back down on the Listening Rug. "Thank you. Mr. Edgar will be bringing the pizza very soon, so please sit down at your seats and wait quietly and patiently. Now...return to your seat-No running!" She yelled as the students stampeded back to their tables.

"I can't wait~!" Yuji bounced up and down in his seat.

"I'm so haaaappyyyy~~!" Lily echoed as she did a little dance. The entire classroom was filled with a similar air of excitement and impatience.

Several minutes of tense waiting went by before the door opened again. In walked a gaunt and angular middle-aged man. His graying blonde hair was receding into his domed head and his mouth was pulled into a taut grimace.

"MR. EDGAR!" The class screamed as he entered. The thin man snarled.

"Welcome to our classroom Mr. Edgar, did you bring the pi-?"

"No." Mr. Edgar replied curtly.

"What? It should be here by now..."

"Oh it is."

Mrs. Tsukumo furrowed her eyebrows and folded her arms. "Don't tell me you're keeping it all to yourself," she said jokingly.

"No, but I'm not giving them to your class."

"What?!" The class echoed Mrs. Tsukumo's disbelief, some even yelling and crying.

"Tori, as the head of the 2nd Grade department, I must say that I am very disappointed in your class' behavior as of late. Just now I could hear them from my office! That is unacceptable!"

"Mr. Edgar, they were just excit-"

"That's not the point! Other people are trying to learn here Mrs. Meadows."

Mrs. Tsukumo's face scrunched up. "I'm Mrs. Tsukumo! Mr. Edgar please, the children worked very hard to get this party."

"I don't care, they've been bad. I will not reward bad children."

Yuji looked over at Lily. She was rubbing her eyes with the back of her eyes and crying loudly. Lily had worked harder than anyone else in the class, she'd donated the most coins and always brought in more every day.

Yuji stood up from his desk, his classmates stopped yelling, though some continued to sniffle and cry. "That's not fair!" He declared. "We won the Pepperonis for Pennies drive fair and square!"

"What isn't fair is all the hard-working and good kids that don't get a pizza while you truants are rewarded!"

"Mr-Mr. Edgar...if anyone's at fault, it's me for not controlling my class. Please don't punish them."

"You won't get out of this either! We're going to talk with the principal later regarding your inability to control your class. Regardless, they still made a racket."

Mrs. Tsukumo bit her lip and looked at her feet. The class' sniffling and crying started growing louder...

"No! I won't take this!" Yuji walked away from his desk and too his cubby hole.

"What are you doing young man?! Sit down!"

"Kyujiro please, just sit down."

"No!" Yuji pulled his D-Pad and deck from his book-bag. "We might have been a bit noisy, but we still won that coin drive fair and square! We worked hard for it! Mr. Edgar, I challenge you to a duel!" Mr. Edgar's thin eyebrows curled upwards, a sneer curling across his thin lips. Mrs. Tsukumo put her hands over her mouth and the class fell silent.

"What are your conditions?"

"If I win, we get our Pizza Party and you don't tell on Mrs. Tsukumo!"

"And what if I win?"

"O-oh well..."

"It's not very fair if I don't get something in return."

"Th-th-then...we'll have silent lunch for a whole month!" The class gasped in response.

Mr. Edgar nodded slowly. "I'll agree to your terms. We'll meet at the duel field in five minutes."

"Sure thing, prepare to lose!"

* * *

Yuji shuffled his deck, his fingers gripping the cards confidently as they slid into place. He was alone in the classroom now, the rest of the class had already gone out to watch the duel unfold. He heard the clacking of high heels drawing closer to the classroom, and in walked Mrs. Tsukumo. She looked very worried, her fingers clenching the pendant around her neck. "Kyujiro, are you ready?"

"Yes ma'am. And call me Yuji!"

"Are you sure you're ready for this?" She asked again, gingerly approaching Yuji's chair. "Mr. Edgar can be pretty ruthless."

"There's no need to worry, my uncle is good at this game. No, he's better than good! He's **REALLY** good! He taught me everything I know, so I know I can win! He made this deck you know."

"He did?"

"Yep! I tried to make it by myself and it was awful, I couldn't get out a single XYZ monster!"

"I didn't know you used XYZ. My husband used XYZ as well, he was kind of hopeless though..."

Yuji laughed. "That's what Yuno said about my first deck!"

"How has Ryuno been?"

"He's been fine, bu-but he's been complaining about high school alot."

"That does sound like him..." Mrs. Tsukumo shook her head. "You said your first deck wasn't very good, that's not the deck you're using now, right?"

"Nope! I said Yurren made it. Yuno helped me make my second deck but it still wasn't that good, so Yurren did that thing he does where he sighs and looks mad, but still does super nice things and remade my deck. This one is amazing!"

"That's good to hear."

Yuji stood up, sliding his deck into the slot on the side of his wrist. "I'm ready to go!"

"Alright, I want you to get out there and Hi-Five the sky!" She held up her hand and Yuji slapped his hand against hers. Mrs. Tsukumo nodded and guided Yuji out to the duel field. Mr. Edgar stood across from him, wearing a duel disk horizontally across his torso. His arms were folded, and his sneer was still curled across his lined face. Yuji's classmates sat on the sidelines, all of them whispering excitedly. Mrs. Tsukumo stood hurried to the side of the duel field as Yuji took his place, the Card Zones popping out from the D-Pad's side and, with 4 quick clicks, fixed itself in place, sticking up at an angle, rather than lying flat like most Duel Disks.

"Alright you two! I expect a fair duel from the both of you!" Mrs. Tsukumo announced. "Does either of you want to go first?"

"I believe I should be the one to start." Mr. Edgar said coolly.

"Very well. Any objections Kyujiro?"

Yuji shook his head.

"Alright! Let's begin!"

"DUEL!"

|Turn 1: |

|Edgar: 4000|  
|Yuji: 4000|

"Watch and learn. I draw." Mr. Edgar moved his hand in front of his deck slot, the light on the end lit up and the disk spit out a card for him. "Hmm..."He carefully analyzed all the cards in his hand, rubbing his chin between his fingers. "I start by summoning my Planet Pathfinder in Attack mode."Mr. Edgar pressed the card against the plate on his chest, and it lit up! A little rover, white and yellow with red wheels, rolled out onto the field.

{Level 4-**ATK:**1000/DEF:1000}

"I'm not done yet, I tribute my Planet Pathfinder to add a Field Spell card from my deck to my hand." The rover turned around and rolled back to Mr. Edgar, a robotic arm unfolded from it's

back and went to his deck, pulling a field spell out from it and handing it to the teacher before disappearing. "Next, I shall activate my Terraforming card. This lets me add another Field Spell to my hand."

"Another one?"

"Indeed and now I shall activate it! Behold Geartown!" The ground rumbled and lights sprayed out. From the lights came large, mechnical buildings all of the made from gargatuian gears that rumbled and screeched against each other. The clicking of metal on metal filled the playground.

There were "oooohs" and "aaaahs" from the class, but Mrs. Tsukumo looked worried.

"Next, I activate my spell card, Ancient Gear Catapult!"

"What's that one do?"

"If I don't control any monsters, I can destroy one face-up card I control and destroy it!" Mr. Edgar explained. "So I destroy my Geartown." The mechanical city shook and began to fall back into the earth, crashing down around itself.

"Why would you do that?"

"Because now I get to Special Summon a monster from my deck!" Mr. Edgar declared. He folded his arms and laughed loudly as the ground shook once more. The screeching and groaning of rubbing metal filled the air. A massive, rusted silver hand burst forth from the ground. It crashed onto the ground, fingers digging into the dirt as the massive mechanical monster made it's way through the dirt, pulling itself onto the field proper. Gears all over it's body clicked and the monster moaned as it rose up to it's proper height, a single gleaming red eye shining beneath it's rusted corinthian helm.

"Behold my Ancient Gear Golem! {Level 8-**ATK:**3000/DEF:3000}"

Yuji's fingers crawled up into his mouth and he began chewing his nails as the class gasped.

"Mr. Edgar, isn't this a bit much?!" Mrs. Tsukumo interjected.

"Nonsense. He challenged me. This is what he gets." He repiled smuggly. "Next Geartown's effect activates! Since it was destroyed, I get to Special Summonanother 'Ancient Gear' monster! The one I choose is," he slapped another card onto his duel disk and pointed at the monster zone right beside his Golem. From it, shot out a small rusted dragon with gears in it's body, "Here is Ancient Gear Wyvern! {Level 4-**ATK:**1700/DEF:1200}"

"My Wyvern's effect activates when it's summoned! I get to add an 'Ancient Gear' card to my hand." He pulled a card from his deck before pulling a different card from his hand.

"Next I activate my second Geartown!" The mechanical city burst from the ground once more, it's clicking as loud ever. "Finally, I activate my Ancient Gear Drill!" The ground shook for a fourth time as a large tri-legged drill slowly rose from the earth. "By discarding one card, (I choose...this one.) I can Set a Spell Card from my deck onto the field, but I can't use it this turn." The drill plowed through the earth, execavating a card that was set on the field by Mr. Edgar. "I Set one more card face down and end my turn."

"Finally!"

|Turn 2: |

|Edgar: 4000|  
|Yuji: 4000|

Yujii grabbed the top card of his deck and whipped it out. "I draw!"

"I'm impressed you're going to keep fighting."

"What do you mean?"

"Aren't you scared? Can't you see the power before you?"

"He's pretty big I guess."

Mr. Edgar narrowed his eyes. "He's not just big Fujiwara. When he attacks you can't activate any Trap cards and he inflicts battle damage even if he battles a monster in Defense Position!"

"That's really good." Yuji looked the massive golem over. "But I've already got a plan!"

Mr. Edgar sighed through his long nose. "It seems I'll need to teach you the true power of my Ancient Gear deck. Take your turn, Fujiwara."

"Okey-dokey." He moved his hand to his deck, but pulled back when he remembered he alreay drew. "Okay, I think I'll start by summoning my buddy, Goblindbergh in attack mode!{Level 4-**ATK:**1400/DEF:0}" The sound of a sputtering engine broke through the clicking and clacking of gears. From above the towers of Geartown came a small red plane flown by a long nosed goblin wearing flying goggles. Dark smoke was billowing out from the plane's engine. The plane careened into the ground, much to the amusement of Yuji's classmates.

"Now that I've summoned a Level 4 monster, I can Special Summon my little Kagetokage from my hand! {Level 4-**ATK:**1100/DEF:1500}" Yuji slapped this latest card onto the plate, and from out of his shadow. It blinked it's a little red eyes up at Yuji.

Yuji looked at the cards he had in his hand and the two on the field. He knew what he should do, he should XYZ summon, but which XYZ monster? He reached into the box he kept at his waist and flipped it open, pulling out his Extra Deck. There were so many to choose from...what to do... Yuji found himself chewing on his finger nails again. What did he do now? Which monster was right for the job? How did he...?

'Every deck has a starting point, a monster from which all your subsaquent plays will be based around... for you...it's this bad boy! Make sure you always bring him out as soon as possible...'

'Right...right! If I do as Yurren said, nothing can go wrong!'

"Okay, I'll overlay my two Level 4 monsters!" The two monster turned into a gold and purple sphere respectivly. They shot upwards, circling each other as they flew before diving back down into a spiraling portal filled with shining white dots that twinkled, like a shimmering galaxy. "With the Overlay Network filled, I XYZ Summon!"

Overlapping layers of energy expolded forth from the portal. Clad in white and gold armor, ivory and metallic wings unfurling, twin swords holstered on it's waist, gleaming number '39' emblazened on its shoulder, two golden orbs rotating around his body, leaving long glorious trails that shimmered in the light, a warrior more than twice the size of Yuji brust forth!

"Unfurl your wings of light, warrior of hope! Wield your sword and illuminate the path towards victory!"

"Appear, Number 39: Utopia!"

{Rank 4-**ATK:**2500/DEF:2000|Overlay Units: 2}

Cheers echoed through Geartown as Utopia spread its wings, arriving beside Yuji and flexing its body. It turned it's head down towards Yuji, red eyes gleaming, and gave Yuji a confident thumbs up. Yuji returned it, beaming.

Mr. Edgar's mouth fell open.

Mrs. Tsukumo's reaction however, was the strangest of all. She clapped her hands over her mouth and stared silently at Utopia. Tears ran unchecked down her cheeks. She took several staggering steps forward, reaching her hand out to Utopia, who slowly turned around to look down at the approaching teacher.

"U...U-Utop-Utopia...? Is that...?"

"Mrs. Tsukumo, what are you doing?"

His words fell on deaf ears as she continued to walk towards Utopia. "Utopia...O-oh..."

"Mrs. Tsukumo!" She jumped, snatching her hand back away from Utopia as she looked around wildly. The entire field had fallen silent, save for the clicking of Geartown. She stepped back out of the field, not taking her tear stained eyes off Utopia.

"I'm sorry...p-please continue..."

Yuji nodded, turning his attention back at his foe. "Utopia! Attack Ancient Gear Wyvern! Go, Rising Sun Slash!" Utopia pulled one of it's swords from its hip and shot into the sky. The sun blazed behind him as it rose its blade above its head, wings spread wide. Utopia shot back down towards the rusted wyvern, swinging it's sword down and cleaving the Wyvern in two! The two pieces exploded in Mr. Edgar's face, forcing him to shield it with his arm.

"Ugggh...not bad."

|Edgar: |  
|4000 » 3200|

"Thank you!"

Yuji looked down at his card as Utopia returned to his field. Yuji pulled Magic Cylinder from his hand and smirked. 'My favorite Trap Card! With this I can send negate an attack without using a XYZ Material and deal some big damage to Mr. Edgar!'

"I set one card face down! Next," Yuji _fwiped_ out another card from his hand. "I'll equip my Utopia with Rising Sun Slash!"

"What's that do?"

"Simple! Everytime I negate an attack, this card gains a 'Rising Sun' counter, and Utopia gains 500 ATK for each counter on this card." Yuji slapped this card into place. "With that I end my turn."

|Turn 4: |

|Edgar: 3200|  
|Yuji: 4000|

"I draw."

"I'll start this turn by activating my Spell Card, Machina Armored Unit!" Mr. Edgar announced. "Now, whenever when a Machine-type monster is destroyed by battle, I can Special Summon a Machine monster from my Deck that has the same Attribute, but less ATK. Next, I summon Ancient Gear Frame {Level 4-**ATK:**1600/DEF:500} in Attack mode." A tall, thin robotic frame pulled itself from the ground.

"Enough waiting around. Attack Ancient Gear Golem! Beat that Utopia into submission with your Mechanized Melee!" Ancient Gear's eyes shone brightly. It pulled back it's massive fist, mechanical body creaking and groaning. It swung it's fist right at Utopia.

"Go Magic Cylinder!" Yuji held out his hand, but the card didn't flip up at his command. "What? Why doesn-"

"When my Golem attacks, you can't activate Spells or Traps! You should have paid more attention."

"Go Light Wing Shield!" Utopia's eyes glowed in response. One it's circling lights shot into it's chest and it swelled. Utopia grabbed it's wing and pulled itforward over it's body, forming a white and gold shield that Anciet Gear Golem's fist crashed into! The force of the punch blew dust over the playground, and made the watching students cough.

Edgar's smug smile melted off his face, replaced with a sneering grimace as the dust cleared and revealed Utopia, perfectly fine and Yuji's Life Points untouched.

"But you couldn't activate any Spells or Traps!" He shouted desperately.

"I didn't. I used Utopia's ability. By using an Overlay Unit, Utopia negated your attack."

{Overlay Units: 2 » 1}

{Rising Sun Slash: +1 Counter}

{Utopia's ATK: 2500 » 3000}

"It appears you managed to save your monster, only for it to get pounded again next turn." Mr. Edgar slid a card face down. "Your Turn."

|Turn 4: |

|Edgar: 3200|  
|Yuji: 4000|

"Draw!"

'I can't believe I forgot about his Golem's ability...I was so focused on my plan that I wasn't paying attention to Mr. Edgar's monster's effect.' Yuji chewed his finger nails as he looked over his cards. 'Darn it. Darn it! Okay...okay...what can I do...?'

"I...I activate Utopia Buster!" Yuji slapped the card down and a bazooka materialized above Utopia. It caught it and directed it's barrel towards Ancient Gear Frame. "My Utopia Buster Spell Card destroys the monster you control with the lowest attack, than you take damage equal to it's ATK! Blow that Gear Frame away Utopia!"

Utopia carefully lined up the shot and fired, the rocket shot out and blew away Gear Frame!

"Argh!"

|Edgar: |  
|3200 » 1600|

"Thank you for that, Kyujiro."

"You're welcome?"

"Ha ha ha!" Mr. Edgar laughed manically as the ground shook violently. Two massive metallic arms plowed through the ground, each digging into the ground and dragging huge metal bodies behind it. "When Frame is destroyed by a card effect, I can summon TWO Ancient Gear Golems from my hand!" On cue, two more Golem's ripping themselves from the dirt, the trio of monsters towering above Yuji and Utopia, their red eyes glowing under their helms.

"Those are scary!"

"Mrs. Tsukumo!"

Yuji's mouth fell open. Utopia pulled it's swords out, eyes narrowing. "Th-that's...t-three of them...?"

"You're performance was impressive Fujiwara! I'd say you have a future in dueling, but it just wasn't enough. If you'd attacked my Frame with Utopia then activated Utopia Buster, you'd have won!" Mr. Edgar threw his arms out, indicating the attack force before him. "But you panicked and now victory is mine!"

"I-I still have Utopia-"

"By the way, would you like to know what my facedown card is?"

"What?"

"It's a handy little Quick-Play spell known as 'Limiter Removal' It doubles the ATK of all my monsters!"

"N-no way...that'd give them 6000 ATK points!"

"Exactly. You cannot win Fujiwara."

Yuji bit his nails as his classmates whined. 'I-I can't beat three of those...Utopia only has one Overlay unit left...what do I do? Yurren...what do I do?!' He fell to his knees, sweat beading on the top of his head and tears welling up in his eyes. "I...I can't win...I've let everyone down..."

"Are you giving up, Fujiwara? At least you're using common sense now." Mr. Edgar spat boastfully.

_Thud!_

Utopia had set down on the field. It stabbed one of it's swords into the ground and patted Yuji on the back.

"Huh...?"

Utopia gave Yuji a thumbs up, nodding as it did.

"Utopia...come on...we can't beat that..."

Utopia shook its head, giving Yuji another thumbs up.

"...but..."

Utopia stabbed it's other sword into the ground and got on it's knees before Yuji. It placed it's hands together and slowly pulled them apart, spreading it's fingers apart as they pulled away.

Yuji tilted his head, confused. "A flower?"

It then pointed at the trio of Golem's and shook it's head.

"They aren't flowers?"

Utopia shook it's head and repeated the motion again.

"A blooming flower?"

Utopia's nodding grew more energetic and it pointed at Yuji's chest.

"Blooming? Blooming...Bloom...? Bloom?"

Utopia nodded and gave Yuji a thumbs up! It clapped him on the back in a congratulatory manner. It then pointed at the trio once more.

"...you're right. Those monsters are strong...but they aren't Bloom." Yuji stood back up, wiping his eyes on the back of his hand. "I'm not giving up Mr. Edgar!"

"Are you serious? You can't seriously tell me you think you can beat my army of Golems!"

"Mr. Edgar...your Golems are impressive, but I've fought way, WAY stronger!"

"What are you talking about?"

"She's a Level 6 fusion with 1000 ATK."

Mr. Edgar swung his arm, face contorting in rage. "Are you mocking me?! There's no way that a monster with 1000 ATK is more powerful than my three Golems!"

With a nod to Utopia, who pulled it's swords from the ground, Yuji looked back down at his hand. 'I talked big...but can I really back it up? I only have one monster and none of my traps can work...if only I didn't have so many Rank-Up cards...wait-!' Yuji looked closer at the cards in his hands, carefully reading their effects over. 'Rank-Ups! I can use these to evolve Utopia! But...who do I summon...? I-I got it! But if I don't pull this combo off right, I'm done for...'

"I...I fill the Overlay Network with Utopia! Chaos XYZ Evolution!" Utopia flew skywards, turning over and soaring back down towards the glittering opening to the swirling Overlay Network. The Network fell in upon itself and exploded outwards, revealing a warrior in large, burly black armor with an immense black sword secured to it's back. It's face was covered, hidden beneath a scowling helm.

"Warrior of hope, be reborn! Equip yourself with armor black as night and illuminate the path towards victory!"

"Appear: Chaos Number 39: Utopia Ray!"

{Rank 4-**ATK:**2500/DEF:200|Overlay Units: 2}

"I'm impressed you know such an advanced technique as the 'XYZ Evolution.' You have skill beyond your age, but nevertheless-" Edgar roared throwing his hands out at the Golems behind him. "It still can't best my Golems! So what was the point? Why waste your effort? Simply to look cool?"

"Because I'm going to end this duel right here, right now!" Yuji raised his palm to the sky. "I fill the Overlay Network with Utopia Ray! Special XYZ Evolution!"

Utopia re-entered the Overlay Network for the last time. This time, when the portal reopened, storm clouds spewed forth. The clouds circled about, spiraling into the sky as thunder rumbled and breif white flashes shot through the black clouds, breifily revealing an imposing figure hidden within.

"Warrior of hope, flash as bright as lightning and illuminate the path towards victory!"

"Appear: Special Number 39: Utopia the Lightning!"

The clouds were blown away, revealing Utopia. It's shoulder armor were larger and rounder, and on it's shoulders were two large black swords, replacing it's ivory wings. {Rank 5-**ATK:**2500/DEF:2000|Overlay Units: 3}

"Now, Utopia the Lightning attack his Ancient Gear Golem!" Utopia pulled it's swords free with a booming _clang!_ that rang across the field like thunder before shooting towards the middle Ancient Gear Golem, who pulled it's fist back, metal joints creaking and screaming.

"Are you serious?"

"Utopa doesn't have the attack to beat that!" Mrs. Tsukumo screamed.

"I can detach two Overlay Materials from Utopia to make it's ATK 5000! I call this ability 'Lightning Charge!'" Two of the three light orbs flew into Utopia's swords, making them crackle with electrcity. Anicent Gear swung it's massive fist toward Utopia's head, but he swerved, the metal fist scraping against his shoulder.

Mr. Edgar laughed. "Only 5000? Then I'll activate Limiter Removal-"

"When Utopia the Lightning attacks, you can't activate any effects!"

"What?!"

"I said this duel was over! Attack that Golem with Rising Sun Lightning Slash!" Utopia the Lighting swung up through the Golem, making the beast stagger back as loose gears and metal plates fell from the wound inflicted upon it. Utopia leapt off Golem's head, soaring into the air! It raised it's sword upon it's head and lightning cracked across the sky! Ancient Gear Golem tried to cover itself with it's hands, but Utopia the Lightning cleaved through the monster's body when it plunged back down, ripping the robot in two and sending shrapnel all over the arena.

"NOOOOO!"

|Edgar: |  
|1600 » 0|

The other two Golems, along with Geartown, dissolved as the class screamed in joy! They were screaming and howling like mad men, jumping up and down, hugging each other, stomping their feet, and just making a huge ruckus. Yuji's D-Pad collapsed inwards and he pumped his fist in joy.

Lily ran up to Yuji and grabbed his hands, bouncing up and down with joy. "YOU WON! YOU WON! PIZZA! PIZZA!"

Mr. Edgar growled, beating his fist against the ground. "I can't believe I lost to that child..." Mr. Edgar stood up, brushing off his pants. "Students, return to your classroom. I'll get your pizzas."

The class howled and screamed, running to back towards their classroom. Yuji ran to follow, but a hand grabbed his shoulder. He turned around to see Mrs. Tsukumo.

Her face was pale and her eyes bright red.

* * *

"Yes? Yes. Yes. Thank you. Please do. Five minutes? From Fi Life? Very well then. Yes, thank you." Mrs. Tsukumo hung up the phone and sighed heavily. She fell into her office chair and looked up at the clock. School was over. The student's had left a long time ago, leaving the only people in the school faculty and staff, and the occasional parent who needed a conference with a teacher.

Her leg shook as she patiently awaited his arrival, so many questions were going through her mind that she didn't know where rational thoughts ended and meaningless noise began. Her fingers wrapped themselves around her pendant, her breath growing heavier. "Number 39: Utopia...what were you doing with that child?"

The ground shook violently, making Mrs. Tsukumo jump. She whirled about and stared out the window, but couldn't spot anything out of the ordinary. She turned away from the window when someone knocked at her office door. "Come in!" She called.

The door was pushed open, and in entered Yurren Yuki. His crisp suit and tightly tied tie made him look like the everyday business man, or he would've, if it weren't for his multi-layered spiked hair that messily stood out, the bottom layer arching downards as the top layer jutted outwards. His lengthy bangs partially obscured his eye as well. Mr. Yuki took a moment to comb his fingers through his hair, cleaning it up and making it much more presentable, thought the bottom part still jutted out quite a bit.

Mrs. Tsukumo stood quickly and offered him her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Yuki. I'm Tori Tsukumo, Kyujiro's teacher."

Mr. Yuki reached into his jacket and pulled out a crisp and clean business card, presenting it to Tori with a polite bow before shaking her hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Yurren Yuki. You can just call me Yurren."

"Uh...right...how about you have a seat Mr. Yu-Yurren. By the way, your last name-"

"No relation I assure you." Mrs. Tsukumo tilted her head in confusion. "I knew what you were going to ask, I get that queston a lot. I can promise you, no relation in the slightest."

She gestured to the straight backed chair in front of her, and Yurren took the seat. His clothes looked ruffled and windswept. That and his messed up hair eariler... "You look like you flew here," she chided him jokingly.

"I did."

"...huh?"

"I am in a hurry afterall, lunch doesn't last forever."

"Oh! Well," Tori shook off his odd comment and continued, "I called you here because I wanted to talk about Kyujiro."

"Is he here now?"

"No. He was picked up by a group of very colorful people, and I mean that in the literal sense."

"I'm glad they remembered. I was worried I'd have to call them."

"Yes well, that's not the issue here."

Yurren crossed his arms and rested his ankle on his knee.

"Today we had an incident involving a fellow teacher. Kyujiro dueled him and won."

"The other teacher isn't hurt is he?"

"No no, he's fine!" Tori furrowed her eyebrows. Why would holograms hurt? Unless this had something to do with Utopia...she decided to go right to the heart of the issue. "Mr. Yuki, why does your nephew have Utopia?"

"..."

She gripped her pendant and leaned forward over the desk. "Please! You must tell me! How did he get that card?"

"...I couldn't tell you." He whispered, his eyes pointed down towards his feet. "I don't know."

"But-!"

"I'm sorry, but I dont. He's had it for as long as I can remember."

Tori slumped back in her chair. "Mr. Yuki please, tell me what you know!"

"Did you call me here just to quiz me about Yuji's deck?" Yurren spat. He sounded very irritated.

Tori slammed her hands on the desk and stood up suddenly, knocking her chair over. "That card was one of a kind and it belonged to my husband! How does your nephew have such a card?!"

"I told you, I don't know."

Tori glared into Yurren's cool eyes, neither breaking eye contact for a very long time. Finally, Yurren stood up. "My lunch break is nearly over. I'm heading back to the office."

Without so much as a word of farewell, Yurren left.

A muffled sob escaped her mouth as Tori collapsed into her office chair. She didn't mean to lose her temper, but she couldn't help it. "Yuma..."

* * *

"A-and then I used Utopia the Lightning to destroy his golem!" Yuji shouted, pumping his fists.

He was sitting at the dinner table with Yuno, Yurren, and the Melodious eating a dinner of nothing but salads. The mood was lightheartened, despite the general disdain directed at Yurren for his 'salads for nothing but a week' plan. Thankfully, this was the last day they would have to eat salads.

"Impressive Yuji. You played smart, I'm proud of you." Yurren nodded his approval.

Yuno snickered. "Playing smart is 'impressive' huh?" Yurren smacked him over the head. "Ow!"

"Thanks Uncle!" Beaming with pride, Yuji gave himself a high five.

"Why didn't you use one of the 'Rank-Up Magic' cards you had in your hand?" Yuno asked.

Yuji froze. "...ah. W-well...I...k-kinda forgot..."

Yurren's utensils came to a stand still. He didn't say anything and instead simply sighed. Yuno snickered again, an action shared by Canon and Aria, both of who recieved a smack over the head by Mozarta and Elegy respectivly.

"Sorry Yurren..."

"There's no need to apologize, you still won didn't you? Besides, it's better that you didn't use them. There's no need to waste resources on something you could've done without them. Anyway, Yuno," Yurren turned to Yuji's brother sitting beside him, "After supper take a shower and go straight to bed."

"What? Come on, Uncle! Stop acting like my mo-"

"Don't you have a tournament tomorrow?"

Yuno's eyes widened. "I completely forgot! I-I have a tournament tomorrow!"

"No, really?"

"I-I-!"

"Calm down big brother!"

Yuno was very excited, and spent most of the night talking about how awesome it would be. The rest of the night was spent trying to calm down Yuno so he could be ready for the tournament, much to Yurren's chargin.


	4. The Start of the Fortuna Cup

Yuno woke up early on the day of the tournament. He lay in the still darkness, listening to his little brother's quiet breaths as he stared at the ceiling. This was it. The day he'd been waiting for was finally upon him, but he didn't feel any of the excitement from yesterday. All that energy was replaced with a small, silent worry that prodded at his heart.

'Can I really do this? I-I don't know...what if I look like a complete newbie in front of the whole city?' Yuno sat up as his thoughts continued to crash into his self-confidence, tearing away at it bit by bit. 'It's not like I actually qualified for it! It was pure luck that I was chosen. I'm probably not good enough.' Yuno slid from his bed and entered the main room.

The oven was sizzling and from it came the enticing smell of melted butter and cinnamon. Standing in front of the stove with an apron secured firmly around his middle was Yurren. He turned around at the sound of the door opening, and Yuno saw that the apron was the one the Melodious made, a deep navy blue with 'Ma𝄞stRo' stitched on in misshapen, oddly colored letters. A large purple treble clef sat at the end and the whole thing was surrounded by various music notes. Elegy sat at the table, clearly still deep asleep.

"Good morning Yuno." Yurren's tired, deep voice sounded unusually peppy. "I'm making French toast for you. 'No better way to kick off the day than with your favorite plate,' as I always say."

"I've never heard you say that."

Yurren shrugged and turned back to the stove. "There's a first for everything." Yurren pushed a plate in front of Yuno. His face fell as his eyes narrowed.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm not sure about this tournament."

"This is a really bad time to have second thoughts."

"I know that!" Yuno pounded his fist on the table. "I can't help it though! What if I'm not good enough?"

"Not good enough to win the first tournament you've ever participated in?" Yurren retorted, folding his arms.

"Did you win yours?"

"...th-that's not the point."

Yuno threw his arms up! "Of course you did!"

"Yuno, that's not the point I'm trying to make."

"Then what are you trying to say?!"

Yurren scratched the back of his head. He groaned and mumbled for a minute before just shaking his head. "I'm...not very good at coming up with analogies and explanations. What I'm trying to say is that it's okay to fail, but you shouldn't prepare for it."

"Easy for you to say, you're a goddamn master."

"Perhaps it is easy for me to say, I'm not sure. But losing is a part of everything, and that's coming from a master."

"Oh yeah?" Yuno spat skeptically.

"Just last month, I lost a big promotion to Tanaka. We were both aiming for a promotion, but only one of us could get it. He got it, and I didn't."

"..."

"W-what I'm trying to say is that...umm...my fear of losing that position didn't keep me from participating. It made me fight harder so I wouldn't lose."

"But in the end you still lost!"

"Ye-yes but that's just a part of life. Everyone loses sometimes, but you can't let that control what you do."

Yuno fell silent. He stared down at the french toast stacked haphazardily on his plate, it's melted butter sliding down it's crust and pooling beneath it. Mozarta's words from the other day echoed in his head: 'I believe in you.'

"Yurren?"

"Hmm?"

"Do...do you believe in me?"

Yurren didn't answer right away. "Of course I do. You were taught by the best, after all!" He said with faux smuggness, spinning on his heel and puffing his chest out with mock pride. His elbow grazed the oven top and he reeled back! "MOTHER FU-!" He stopped himself quickly and simply growled and groaned violently, clutching his elbow and stomping his foot in rage.

A chuckle rose up in Yuno's throat, finally escaping his mouth as a full blown laugh. "Hahahaha! Ha-ha ha! Thanks Yurren."

"FOR WHAT?!"

Yuno smiled mischievously. "For cheering me up."

"YOUPIECEA-!" Yurren stopped himself again and growled through his teeth, "Glad I could help."

Turning his fork upon his French toast, Yuno began devouring it hungrily. By the time he was finished, the table had been filled by the choir and Yuji, all of whom were discussing the tournament with excitement. The tension in the air was palpable, like the atmosphere just before you leave on vacation. When Yuno finished, he excused himself and went back into the guest room to get dressed. He chose a magenta shirt, it was old and wrinkled, but comfortable and snug.

He ripped his favorite black hoodie off the hanger and slid it on. It had white letters spelling out 'Wheel of Fortune' and a white monowheel on the back. He prepared to head back out before remembering: "I need pants." Yuno bounced to his dresser, pulling out a pair of jeans that were little to long for him. Securing his pants with a silver belt he thought was super cool, he looked himself over in a nearby mirror, nodding in approval. Yuno picked up his D-Pad from the nightstand and turned to leave, but froze and turned back around. His eyes were caught on the statuette of Jack Atlas. His eyes traveled up to the poster he had affixed over his bed, of Jack, on his Duel Runner with his arm pointed towards the sky, and Red Dragon Archfiend, shrouded in flames, above him. Yuno mindlessly pulled his Red Dragon Archfiend from his deck and looked at it, then back up at his statue and poster.

"...we got this Red. Let's make the King proud."

A faint crimson glow emanated from the card, accompanied by a growl.

"Right...we got this."

* * *

"Did you reserve your tickets ahead of time?"

"For the last time, yes!"

"How many?"

"I already told you! We have 18 tickets!"

"And what's your name?"

"AAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Yurren reared back, grabbing his head as he screamed. "My name is Yurren Yuki! Yurren. Yuki."

"Age?"

"24!"

"And how many tickets?"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"Excuse me, where do I go?" Yuno approached the ticket booth as Yurren kicked over a nearby trash can. Elegy and Bloom tried to calm him down as Opera gave the ticket booth handler a dirty look.

"To the number of the seat on your ticket sir." The man replied, his voice deadpan.

Yuno pulled out his invite, showing it to the booth man. "No I'm a contestant."

"You clearly aren't."

"What?"

The booth man sighed. "Sir, the directions were clearly listed on the letter confirming your participation."

"Oh shit, really?" Yuno pulled the letter out and gave it another look over. "Oh...you're right."

"You really are a contestant?"

"Yessir."

"...huh. Cool." The booth man pointed his thumb at Yurren as he continued assaulting a trash can. "Is he your father?"

"What?! No of course not!"

The booth man nodded and pulled out his radio. "Security we have a kidna-"

"No no no! He's my guardian! My uncle!"

"Oh. Nevermind dudes." He muttered into his radio. "Anyway, go ahead to the prep room, it's down the hall and to the left."

"Thank you sir, but what about Yurren?"

"Uhhh...I guess he'll get in. Eventually."

His leg was bouncing uncontrollably. His fingers fumbled as he shuffled his deck. Any moment now, they'd call the contestants for the first round. He told himself he was ready several times, but now that he was on deck waiting, he knew that he wasn't really ready. The stadium was filled with thousands upon thousands of people and cameras were broadcasting this tournament to millions more! What boggled his mind was that these numbers were NOTHING compared to the numbers the World Championships drew. 'How did Yurren ever put up with all this crap?'

The waiting room was a pale cream color from the walls to the carpet and even the furniture. A truly massive flat screen TV sat high on the opposite wall, showing the sheer magnitude of the audience. The other competitors all wore varying faces of worry, excitement, and downright fear. There were sixteen in total and the tournament was a knockout, meaning that Yuno would have to win four straight rounds, and that was just to get to the Fortuna City Champion.

The intercom buzzed to life, making Yuno jump, though it's announcement terrified him even further. "Would Ryuno Fujiwara and Roland Chevalerie please report to the Duel Field. Roland, take your place at Side A, Ryuno, take your place at Side B."

Yuno felt his heart climb into his throat and lodge itself there, refusing to budge. He stood from the couch shakily. Someone near him whispered 'good luck' but he barely registered it. He climbed the stairs out of the waiting room and out into the blazing sunlight. When he emerged, he saw the massive stadium laid out before him.

Thousands upon thousands were screaming and cheering, the sounds crashing into Yuno's ears and flooding the area. In the middle of the stadium stood the duel field, laid out just like the ones at school, but with straight lines and color coded, one blue and labeled 'Side A' and one red that was labeled 'Side B.' Yuno walked around the outside ring, just in front of the front row.

His legs were shaking, his breathing heavy as he approached his side of the field.

A woman, dressed in a revealing top and short skirt trotted up to Yuno. She held out a contraption, hooking it around his ear and putting the end near his mouth.

"This is your microphone, so people can hear you! Try not to touch it." With that she ran off to the commentator's stand. Behind the stand stood a man in a sharp looking white suit with a large slicked back pompadour and large golden aviators. The man was yelling into a microphone, but the ringing in Yuno's ears kept him from focusing on it.

He stared forward and caught sight of his opponent.

He was a large man, dressed out in a suit of gold and silver armor. The visor on his helmet was pulled, revealing a stern faced middle age man. He held a sword and shield and looked ready for a fight to the death. Yuno would've noted how strange his appearance was if his brain was doing anything more than buzzing in fear.

{'Yuuunnnooooo~!'}

The sound of a choir pierced the ringing in Yuno's ears, the voice sang out above the roaring crowd, who quieted down to listen. The voice vocalized, drawing Yuno's gaze. There, to his right, was Yurren and the choir. Yurren was swinging a baton about in front of them as the choir sang, eyes not leaving Yurren. He hushed them with a quick swipe of his baton, before turning to Yuno and waving his arm above his head, an action mirrored by the Melodious.

{'Go go Yuno! Go go!'}

The song shot through Yuno's anxiety. The kind display from his family made him giggle nervously. He gave them a thumbs up a turned his attention onto his foe.

"Well well! It sounds like our youngest contestant as some support already!" The commentator howled. "Anyway, MC Judge thinks we should get this show on the road, what about yooooooou?" Judge held his microphone to the crowd, who screamed in response. "That's what I'm talking about! Now remember, be polite to our duelists here! First, on Side A we have

Sir Roland Chevalrie! He hails from Charma City and came in hopes of being able to take home the trophy!"

Sir Roland waved to the crowd, and the crowd cheered in response. He raised his sword and stuck it through his shield. The shield spilt open, revealing a Duel Disk with the sword acting as a base.

Over the 'Ooohs' from the crowd, Yuno clearly heard Solo howl "That's so extra!"

"Next, on Side B, we have Ryuno Fujiwara! He's a Fortuna City local and is also the youngest competitor here! Don't count him out yet though, I see a fire in his eyes! Now! Let's get this duel train a-rolling! First, we determine who's first! For that we'll flip a coin! Sir Roland, heads...or tails?!"

"I call heads."

"Heads it is! Aaaaaaaaaand-! It is heads! Sir Roland, would you like to go first or second?"

Sir Roland trained his beady eyes upon Yuno. "Tis only right for me to little the youngster take the first turn."

"What a gentleman! Sir Roland has opted to let his foe take the first turn!"

Yuno scowled. He activated his D-Pad and readied himself. This was it.

"Now! Let the Fortuna Cup...BEGIN!"

|Turn 1: |

|Yuno: 4000|  
|Roland: 4000|

Yuno drew his first card, added it to his hand, and looked it over. 'Crap, this hand isn't that amazing...guess I'll just do what I can for now.'

"I summon Black Fang Magician in Attack Mode! {Level 4-**ATK:**1700/DEF:800}" A burly magician dressed in purple and green robes and a large, pointy black hat materialized onto the field.

"Next I set three cards face down. I end my turn."

|Turn 2: |

|Yuno: 4000|  
|Roland: 4000|

Roland laughed. "If that's all you can do, then I'm going to feel bad for crushing you."

"Just take your turn!"

"Mmh. I draw." Roland chuckled, "It seems my brothers in arms wish for my victory as much as I do."

"Pardon?"

"Hahaha, you shall see. I start by activating Supply Squad." A light burst from the ground, and from it emerged a large cart filled with boxes and barrels being pulled by a group of hapless looking goblins. "Do I need to tell you what it does youngster?"

"I already know. It lets you draw a card whenever a card you control is destroyed, but only once per turn."

Roland clapped. "Very good young one. Well then what about this one? I activate Heart of the Underdog."

"Whenever you draw a Normal Monster, you can reveal it and draw again."

"Very good! I'm glad to see you know what I'm doing."

"W-well than-"

"It would be dishonorable to defeat someone beneath me." Yuno growled, making Roland chuckle once more. "I set the Pendulum Scale with Igknight Margrave and Igknight Paladin!" Two heavily armored knights, whose armor were decked in attachments more fitting guns than armor, like barrels in place of pauldrons, emerged in the blue pillars of light.

"Great..."

"Next, I activate Paladin's effect! You see youngster, a hero is someone who is willing to sacrifice everything for their comrades, and my brave knights will do just that." The two knights saluted each other before erupting into flame.

"Whoa!"

"If I have an 'Igknight' in the other zone, I can destroy both 'Igknights' to add 1 FIRE Warrior-Type monster to my hand." Roland explained as he pulled a card from his deck. "But that's not all..."

"Because they were destroyed, Supply Squad lets you draw a card."

"Very good youngster!" Roland ripped out his next card, grinning smugly at Yuno. "Not only that, but because the card I drew was a Normal Monster, I get to draw again. So feast your eyes upon Igknight Squire. Now I'll draw again!"

"This isn't going to be good..."

"Quite right." Roland laughed as he revealed the card he just drew, Igknight Cavalier. He drew again, and revealed Igknight Gallant. He drew once more. "Alas, I didn't draw a Normal Monster, but I have all I need to end this duel. I'll set the Pendulum Scale once more with Igknight Squire and Igknight Crusader!" Two more knights in gun themed armor took the place of the comrades. "Now I'll Pendulum Summon! Come forth Igknight Cavalier {Level 5-**ATK**:2400/DEF:1200}! Igknight Gallant {Level 6-**ATK:**2100/DEF:2200}! Igknight Margrave {Level 5-ATK:1500/**DEF**:2500}! Igknight Paladin {Level 4-ATK:1400/**DEF**:1900}!"

Yuno took a tentative step back as the knights took their places, cocking their weapons and aiming them at Yuno's head. "Now, my knights! To battle! Gallant, attack that Magician! Machine Storm Volley!" Gallant swung it's massive Machine-Gunblade around, it's ammunition belt dragging across the ground. Gallant took careful aim before letting loose a hail of gun fire that tore through Black Fang, making him explode and blowing Yuno back.

|Yuno: |  
|4000 » 3600|

"Don't let up the assualt! Go Cavalier!" Cavalier pulled out a knife and charge and Yuno, it swung at his chest. The blow threw Yuno back, he slammed against the ground and grunted in pain. He propped himself up on his elbows, coughing.

"OH NOOO! What an incredible display of power from Sir Roland! Looks like Ryuno is in trouble!"

|Yuno: |  
|3600 » 1200|

Roland scoffed. "If only I hadn't been so cautious. I would've already won this farce of a duel. I'll set one card. That's my turn."

|Turn 3: |

|Yuno: 1200|  
|Roland: 4000|

Yuno didn't get up right away. He buried his head in his hand.

"...? What's wrong youngster? Stand up and face me."

'...dammit...we just started and I'm already getting destroyed.' Yuno wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and slowly stood. 'I'm not giving up! Not that easily! But...the cards in my hand are useless...if I don't draw the card I need...I'm done for...'

"I draw!"

His hands were trembling, breath seizing up in his throat, sweat beaded his forehead. He turned the card around slowly to look at it.

!

A smile broke across his face. "I...I got it...I actually drew the card I needed!"

A gasp echoed through the audience, excited rumblings bursting forth. Roland leaned forward, a look of disbelief on his face.

"I activate Sacred Sword of Seven Stars!" The card exploded into seven shining dots that formed into the Big Dipper just above his head. The golden sword shot out and impaled itself in the ground before him. "By banishing the Odd-Eyes Dragon in my hand, I can draw two cards!" He threw Odd-Eyes Dragon up, ripped the sword from the ground and cleaved it in two, the card splitting into lights that merged into Yuno's deck. "Now, I draw two cards!"

'Come on...don't fail me now...'

Yuno pulled out his next two cards and flipped them around...

"AWW YEAH!" And jumped for joy!

"What's this?! It seems young Ryuno might have drawn something amazing!"

"I summon my Red Resonator to the field in Attack mode {Level 2-**ATK**:600/DEF:200}!" From the ground erupted a little fiend with a flaming body, carrying a hammer and tuning fork.

"You are grasping at straws youngster. What good is that little thing going to do you?"

"On his own he can't do much, but!" Yuno swung his arm out, directing it at his foe. "His special effect lets me Special Summon one Level 4 for below monster from my hand. So say hello to my close friend, Xiangsheng Magician {**ATK:**500/DEF:1500}!"

"I appreciate the effort to put up a fight youngster but-"

"Will you just shut up and let me finish? 'Cause I'm just getting started!" Yuno raised his hand up! "I tune my Level 2 Red Resonator to my Level 4 Xiangsheng Magician! With this, victory is assured!" Red Resonator slammed its hammer and fork together, making them resonate as he transformed into two spinning rings that circled around Xiangsheng, she herself turning into four balls of light. A massive red pillar exploded through the rings.

"The flames of my will conjure a beast that evolves from a smoldering flame to a blazing inferno! Syncrho Summon!"

From the pillar burst a creature made of pure orange flames! It reared its horned head and screeched, it's body heating up and blazing like a wildfire!

"Be born, the raging inferno: Red Rising Dragon! {Level 6-**ATK:**2100/DEF:1600}"

"WOOOOWW!" MC Judge screeched, echoing the audience's excitement. "That monster's not cool, it's smoking hot! Could this blazing beast mark Ryuno's fiery counterattack?! Try to stay cool duel fans, this duel is JUST heatin' up!"

With a dismissive wave of the hand and shake of the head, Roland chuckled. "That dragon may be impressive youngster, but it's ATK is nothing special."

"Good thing I didn't summon it to attack then, isn't it?!"

Roland looked up, eyes narrowed. "Pardon?"

"You heard me! You see, when 'Red Rising Dragon' is summoned, I get to Special Summon one 'Resonator' monster from my graveyard!" Red Rising directed its palm at the Monster Zone on his right, and a pillar of flame burst forth! "So I resummon my Red Resonator! {Level 6-**ATK:**600/DEF:200}" The pillar died away, revealing the flaming fiend. Yuno pumped his fist as he continued to explain. "AND when my little friend is Special Summoned, I can regain Life Points equal to the ATK of a monster on the field!" He directed his hand towards Cavalier, pointing at her. "Your Cavalier owes me some Life Points and it's time to pay up!"

Red Resonator spun around, clicking its hammer and fork together and sending its soothing waves over Yuno.

|Yuno: |  
|1200 » 3600|

MC Judge planted his foot on his desk and screamed, "INCREDIBLE! In just one flawless move young Ryuno has almost completely nullified Sir Roland's devastating offense last turn!"

"Even if you restore your Life Points, my monsters will still demolis-!"

"Will you just shut up and let me finish?!" Yuno raised his palm skyward once more, "I tune my Level 2 Red Resonator to my Level 6 Red Rising Dragon!" Red Resonator clicked its fork and hammer together once more, making him and Red Rising form the Synchro Rings and orbs once more. They flew upwards to float above Yuno's hand. They spun faster and faster before erupting into a mountain of orange-red flame!

"The Earth shakes and mountains burn to ash! Creation itself trembles as this mighty beast roars!"

Blood-red claws tore through the flames and crimson wings ripped through the fire! With a roar, a massive, bulky black dragon pushed the fires away, sending it spiraling through the air and dissipating just over the crowd's heads. It opened it's blue jaws and screeched once more, making the glass in the stadium shake in their panels.

"Be born, the soul of the King: Red Dragon Archfiend! {Level 8-**ATK:**3000/DEF:2500}"

Gasps and screams filled the air. The audience was losing their minds, and so was MC Judge. "INCREDIBLE! MARVELOUS! SIMPLY SPECTACULAR! I NEVER THOUGHT I'D BE SEEING THE LEGENDARY RED DRAGON ARCHFIEND HERE TODAY! BY THE EGYPTIAN GODS, THIS IS TRULY A SIGHT TO BEHOLD!"

Sir Roland merely gaped at the mighty red dragon before him.

"Let's do this Red Dragon Archfiend!" Yuno pointed at Galliant, who flinched. "Attack Igknight Galliant with Absolute Powerforce!" With a flap of its mighty wings, Red Dragon Archfiend shot forward towards the Igknight. In a panic, the Igknight swung it's gun around and began firing at the encroaching dragon wildly, though all of its shots merely bounced off the dragon's hide. Red Dragon pulled back it's flaming fist and slammed it into Gallaint, sending the knight flying high into the air and exploding above the crowd. Roland covered his head with his shield to block the shock wave.

|Roland: |  
|4000 » 3100|

"Red Dragon isn't done yet! Go Archfiend, use your Fiend Meteor to destroy his Defense Position monsters!"

"Hahaha! I activate Kickback!"

Red Dragon roared as it twirled upwards. With a flap if it's wings, it sent a cascade of flaming meteors crashing down upon Roland's field, obliterating Igknights Margrave and Paladin. Red Dragon landed before Yuno, making the ground shake, as the smoke over Sir Roland's field cleared. It revealed a smirking Roland and two large, curling fireballs that hovered over a face-up trap card.

"What's so funny?"

"Your Red Dragon Archfiend is truly a sight to behold, but because of it's power I was able to activate my Kickback Trap Card! You see, boy, once per turn when a FIRE monster, or monsters, I control are destroyed by a card effect, my 'Kickback' gains a counter. Right now, as you can see it has two." Sir Roland indicated the two fireballs.

"Alright, but what do they do?"

"During either of our Standby Phases, I can send this card to the Graveyard to inflict you with 1000 points of damage for EACH counter on this card!"

"...alright then, I end my turn."

|Turn 4: |

|Yuno: 3600|  
|Roland: 3100|

"You seem to not understand boy, so let me make it clear just how dire your situation is!" Roland declared as he drew his next card. "I activate the effect of Igknight Squire! I can now destroy both my Igknights to add a FIRE warrior to my hand."

"Wait, destroy?!"

"That's right! And since they were destroyed, Kickback gains two more counters!" Two more fireballs swirled into existence, joining the other two.

"OH NO! This could be the end of our young duelist! All Sir Roland has to do is end his turn and send 'Kickback' to the Graveyard to burn away all of  
Ryuno's Life Points!"

Roland chuckled once more. "I end my turn."

|Turn 5: |

|Yuno: 3600|  
|Roland: 3100|

Yuno drew his next card.

"It's over! I activate Kickback!" Sir Roland laughed, his armor clanging to the rhythm as he slid Kickback into his Graveyard. The four fire balls shot up to hover over Roland's head. Behind each fireballs, stood a ghostly figure of a destroyed Igknight, they all cocked their weapons and aimed them, and the fireballs, towards Yuno. "You showed promise youngster, but you simply couldn't best the power of the Igknights. Now my fallen breathern! Incinerate the rest of his Life Points! Fare the well, youngster!" The fireballs careened towards Yuno, Red Dragon stepped into their line of fire, crossing his arms over his chest. The balls exploded in a booming explosion that sent smoke all over the arena. The spectators screamed with mixed delight and fear.

"It's over! The winner is Sir Ro-"

A crimson claw tore through the smoke, revealing Yuno and Red Dragon Archfiend, perfectly unharmed.

"What trickery is this?!"

"No trickery, you just activated my Trap Card, Crimson Fire!" Red Dragon's head bent backwards, it's chest swelling like a balloon, flames spilling out from his blue jaws. "You see Roland, when you would do damage to me with a Spell or Trap card while my Red Dragon is on the field, Crimson Fire makes the damage be reflected back at you, with DOUBLE the power!"

"WHAT?!"

"That's right, you're taking a full 8000 points of damage! This duel is over, end it Red Dragon Archfiend!" Unable to control the immense power any longer, Red Dragon lowered his head and shot a stream of dark crimson flames spiraling towards Sir Roland. The fires bursting into a raging tornado of red-hot flames that curled into the sky, it's immense heat producing heat hazes in the arena! Sir Roland's agony filled howls of defeat were drowned out by the roaring inferno. The flames died down, revealing Sir Roland on his knees, his ornamentation burned away and his once shiny silver armor stained black with smoke.

|Roland: |  
|3100 » 0|

"IT'S OVER! WHAT AN INCREDIBLE TURN OF EVENTS! I just a few short turns Ryuno went from underdog to top dog! Young Ryuno will be moving on to the next round! Congratulations!"

Yuno pumped his fist excitedly. "AW YEAH!" Red Dragon Archfiend reared back and roared triumphantly as the arena overflowed with cheers and applause. Yuno laughed and waved to the crowd as they cheered, a flicker of pride and confidence igniting in his chest. A giggle escaped his lips, and he said, through barely contained laughter, "Hey Red, I guess you could say he went...'Knight-Knight'"

A deep growl rumbled out of Red Dragon's chest and Yuno could sense his partner's overwhelming disappointment.

* * *

Yuno lounged in the rest area, a smug grin on his face. The rest area was specifically made for people who had just dueled, so they could get some R&R before their next match, and as such Yuno was left on his own to celebrate his victory. The next duel had already started, but Yuno wasn't paying any attention to it. There was a rap at the door.

"Come in~!" Yuno declared, his boastful tone ringing through his words. 'I bet it's some reporters come to-'

The door slid open, revealing Yurren, Elegy, Aria, and Solo.

"Congratulations!" Solo cried, bounding forward and grabbing Yuno in a bear hug.

Aria was just behind Solo, she slapped Yuno on the back before hugging him as well. "That was a great comeback!"

"Y-yes, it was very impressive."

"Thanks you three!" Yuno hugged them back, looking over Solo's shoulder at Yurren. He had his arms folded and looked troubled for some reason.

"What's the matter Yurren?"

"...I need to talk to you about your next match."

"What? Has it been decided already?"

"No of course not. I just need to discuss somethings with you."

Yuno pulled free from Solo and Aria and fell back onto the couch. He slapped the seat beside him. Yurren and Elegy approached but neither sat down, though Aria and Solo accepted the invite. "Like what?"

"Hmm...you should try to only use Red Dragon Archfiend in your next round."

Yuno cocked his head in confusion. "What? Why?"

"You've still got three more rounds. You don't want to reveal all your cards before you make it to the finals."

"What are you talking about? Yurren, you need to explain better."

Yurren scratched his chin. "Yuno...your opponents watched your last duel. They saw what you did and what you're capable of. They already know that you use Red Dragon Archfiend, and based on the fact you used 'Crimson Fire,' it's safe to assume they know he's your Ace monster."

"They could tell that based on a single trap card?"

"Of course. You can only use 'Crimson Fire' with Red Dragon Archfiend on the field. No one would run that card unless their deck is focused around Red Dragon Archfiend, otherwise you have a card you can't even use." Yurren stopped stroking his chin, though he still looked troubled.

"I...I see, sort of..."

"Anyway, now they know about your Red Dragon and your Odd-Eyes and Pendulum monsters, so-"

"What?! How?"

"The card you banished was Odd-Eyes Dragon. On top of that, you summoned Black Fang Magician. It'd be a safe assumption for the other duelists to say that you use Odd-Eyes/Pendulum deck."

Elegy nudged Yurren in the ribs. "You're making it too verbose."

"O-oh okay." Yurren rubbed his forehead while 'hmmm'-ing. "Don't use your ultimate monster and...don't show off all your strategies. It'd be very bad if the other duelists figured out your entire game plan before you even got to them.

"Don't use my ultimate monster? What about my second best then?"

"...only if you have too. Also, you should pay attention to the other players so you could figure out how they duel." Yurren indicated the flat screen, on which was the duel currently underway. "Information is just as valuable as any card."

"Alright. Thanks for the advice Yurren."

He nodded. "Of course. I'm proud of you for clearing the first round, but don't get cocky." Yurren turned on his heel to leave. "I'll come back after you win the next match, Yuji and the girls really want to congratulate you but bringing everyone at the same time seemed like a terrible idea." With that, Yurren left, the girls said farewell to Yuno and ran after him.

Yuno shrugged, making himself comfortable on the couch. His next duel wouldn't be in a while, and he had some duels to watch...

* * *

Author's note-  
Hello! I'd like to thank all of you who've read my story and favorited it/followed me. It means a great deal to me that you've all enjoyed what've told so far to such an extent. Once this mini arc has finished, the plot proper will finally be set into motion! Also, to make up for the shortness of this week's chapter, I'll be uploading chapter 5 later this week as well.  
Please continue to enjoy my works and please do leave reviews, it helps me improve even more  
-Wir Fliegen


	5. Onto the Second Round

Yuno woke up with a start, having dozed off during his viewings. He looked around wildly. The Rest room was no longer empty, six other people had entered when he had fallen asleep. The TV was broadcasting the final match of the first series.

Yuno sat up and nearly slammed into a young woman. She had bright green hair and eyes. She had a kind smile that contrasted her height and rather intimidating features. She was fit and broad-shouldered. "I'm sorry!"

"Noooo, noooo, don't worry about it." Her voice was sweet, but sounded detached from her body like she was thinking about something more important. She also had a rather thick Germanic accent, despite her fantastic Japanese.

"Oh! Alright, alright."

"I am Sofia Blumenkranz. Du ist Ryuno Fujiwara."

"You can just call me Yuno."

"Noooo, I don't think I will." Sofia turned to the TV. She turned back to Yuno. Then she turned back to the TV before turning back to Yuno. "I saw your duel.

It was wunderbar."

"Thank you! It was pretty close, huh?"

"Not really." Sofia returned her attention to the TV. Yuno rubbed the back of his head, it was very hard to get a read on this woman. "I do belive that du und I will be next."

"Were the next rounds already announced?!"

"Noooo, It's just a feeling."

"..."

The duel on the TV came to an explosive finish. The smoke was blown away, revealing a monstrous looking beast. It was a towering purple dragon. It's scales gleamed in the sunlight with an ominous sheen. Eyelids slid sideways across its reptilian eyes as a voice laughed loudly. The hologram disappeared, revealing the man standing behind it. He was short, and had slicked back graying hair. He wore a massive silver and black coat that billowed out behind him, as if it was caught in a perpetual wind. The man raised his fist and the audience screamed their approval. The man had a manic, insane look on his face that slowly slid off to be replaced with a stoic grimace.

"Who's that guy?"

"Das ist John Cassian, also known as 'Vice.' He's been making a name for himself in die Pro circuit."

"Vice, huh?"

The intercom buzzed above them. "Would Ryuno Fujiwara and Louise Lafrance please report to the duel field? Ryuno, take you place at Side A, and Louise take your place at Side B."

Yuno turned to Sofia, raising an eyebrow to her. "I Was wrong. Happens to everyone, no?" Yuno stood up and left for the arena without answering.

Yuno emerged on the duel field and, once more, the cheerleader trotted up to Yuno and attached a microphone to his ear. He took his place across from a young girl with curly blonde hair and sharp pointed eyes. She looked very plain and quiet, kind of like Yurren actually. She activated her duel disk and Yuno turned on his.

"It's time for the second round of duels to commence!" MC Judge howled. "If you thought round one was intense, then you haven't seen nothing yet! On Side A: We have the blazing supernova himself, Ryuno Fujiwara!"

"'Blazing supernova?'"

"He revealed a shockingly powerful monster in his first duel: the almighty Red Dragon Archfiend! Can he impress us once more? On Side B we have Louise Lafrance, a rising star in the Duelist League! Her brutal beatdown strategy has earned her the moniker 'Black-and-Blue Brawler'! Will she once again use her savage style to claim victory?

"Now, Miss Lafrance, heads or tails?"

"Heads."

"The coin's been flipped aaaaand-! Heads it is!"

"I'll take the first move then," She said shortly.

"DUEL!"

Turn 1:

|Louise: 4000|  
|Yuno: 4000|

"The first turn is mine!" Her voice had a slight French accent, but her words were clear and sharp. She had a commanding presence to her, despite looking younger than Yuji. She drew her first card and grimaced as she looked over her hand.

"I summon Digitron {Level 2-**ATK**:1500/DEF:0}." A little sphere-shaped white creature appeared on the field. It floated about, LED blue eyes staring at Yuno. "Next, I set two cards face down and equip my Digitron with 'Amulet of Ambition.' With that I'm ending my turn."

Turn 2:

|Louise: 4000|

|Yuno: 4000|

"Draw!"

'She didn't even attempt to trash talk me. Looks like we can have a regular duel without all that patronizing.' Yuno looked at his newly drawn card, then down to his hand. 'Sweet! Now this is a hand I can work with!'

"I'll start by setting my Odd-Eyes Arc Pendulum Dragon {Scale: 8} and my Odd-Eyes Mirage Dragon {Scale: 1} on the Pendulum Scale!" The two aforementioned dragons appeared within starry blue pillars. The bright blue dodecagram glowed into life between the pillars, pulsating weakly. "Now's our chance to do some major damage! Pendulum Summon!"

The dodecagram opened widened and from it emerged...

"Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon! {Level 7-**ATK**:2500/DEF:2000}" The bipedal dragon landed on the ground and roared triumphantly. The stadium exploded into defining noise. Everyone was screaming. MC Judge was yelling something, but Yuno couldn't hear over the roaring crowd. Yuno pointed at Digitron and screamed into his mic, "Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon, wipe out that digital dummy with your Spiral Flame Strike!"

Odd-Eyes roared in agreement. He charged forward and leapt high into the air. A jet of spiraling crimson and black flames shot towards Digitron. "By the way, all battle damage you take from Odd-Eyes is doubl-"

The little digital creature raised an appendage and slapped Odd-Eyes' attack away. The spiraling jet shot towards the fields on either side of the Duel Field, exploding as it hit the ground and causing a different kind of scream to ripple through the audience.

"That's not possible!" Yuno stared in disbelief at Digitron as Odd-Eyes landed beside him. "That thing shoulda-"

"Get him Digitron." Digitron trilled and rose up, it's appendages glowing a bright white.

**BOOOOMMM**

It launched two invisible projectiles that slammed into Odd-Eyes, who was enveloped in smoke and flames

"Odd-Eyes!"

|Yuno: |  
|4000 » 2500|

'What the hell happened? Odd-Eyes should've won that fight easy!' Yuno wiped the dust from his eyes and peered over Louise's field. 'That equip card must have had something to do with it...but what does it do...?'

"What does that equip card do?" He asked Louise.

She shrugged. "I'm not obligated to tell you."

"What?! Oh, come on!"

"OUCH! It looks like Young Miss Louise isn't playing nice! She's taking every advantage she can get!" MC Judge announced now that the arena had calmed down a bit from the summoning of Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon.

'Ugh...great. She isn't playing fair! Isn't this like...dishonorable or something? Hell, even Ronin told me what his cards did. What do I do now?' Yuno closed his eyes, his heart thudding in his ears. 'What would the King do? He'd just bust right through with even more power!'

"When my 'Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon' was destroyed, the effect of my 'Odd-Eyes Arc Pendulum Dragon' activated!" Arc Pendulum Dragon growled and the crystal on it's back began to glow brightly. "His effect lets me Special Summon an 'Odd-Eyes' Monster from my deck!"

The crystal exploded and a gray dragon burst forth. It's rainbow colored wings scattered pastel light across the arena as it soared over the crowd.

"Let's go Odd-Eyes Phantasma Dragon! {Level 8-**ATK:**3000/DEF:2500}"

"Another Odd-Eyes! It seems Ryuno as shown his deck's true colors!"

"The colors of a cheater!" Yuno's heart sank as a voice in the crowd echoed down to him.

"I said to be respectful to the duelists!" MC Judge barked as he glared into the crowd. "Duel disks don't accept bootlegged cards, that means young Ryuno's are the real deal!" Despite his words, whispers of disdain continued to ebb through the crowd.

"Anyway...time to battle." Yuno whispered half-heartedly.

Louise leaned in. "What? I couldn't hear you."

"BATTLE PHASE! ATTACK, PHANTASMA DRAGON!" Phantasma's wings flared, and he took to the sky, soaring over and diving at break neck speeds. He shot forward towards Digitron, soaring level to the ground. "When Phantasma Dragon attacks, your monster loses 1000 ATK for each face-up Pendulum Monster in my Extra Deck and I have one!"

{Digitron's ATK: 1500 » 500}

"Go! Phantom Spiral Strike!"

Digitron raised an appendage and, just as Phantasma Dragon was about to strike, smacked him across the face. A *BOOM* echoed through the stadium and Phantasma Dragon was sent flying backwards towards Yuno.

A roar pierced Yuno's left ear and something grabbed his collar. Odd-Eyes Mirage Dragon tugged Yuno back, pulling him out of the way of Phantasma, who skid across the arena into the grass, leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. Dangling from Mirage's jaw, Yuno watched in horror as Phantasma gave a weak whimper and dissolved away.

|Yuno: |  
|2500 » 2000|

Yuno dropped to his knees, staring at the place Phantasma Dragon had disappeared from. Disbelief numbed his senses. The sounds of the crowd devolved into ringing in his ears. 'What happened? How...is this...? That...that should've...'

A whistle blew out across the stadium. A referee came out onto the field, approaching the sidelines and going up to talk to MC Judge. "What's that? Hmm...mmh-hmm...alright. Everyone, we will be taking a ten-minute break to configure the Solid Vision. It seems a malfunction caused the damage we see before us." A grumble rumbled through the crowd. "Will both contestants please leave their Duel Disks and Decks with me? Place the cards that were in your hand at the top of your deck face-up."

Yuno did just that, placing 'Dark Resonator,' 'Ultimate Providence,' and 'Pendulum Halt' at the top of his deck and sliding the disk over to MC Judge, Louise doing the same.

"Don't worry you two! I'll make sure nobody gets these! Well, me and the security team that is." He laughed loudly. "You two can go relax in the rest room. Actually, Young Ryuno," He called out to Yuno as he turned to leave. "It seems your uncle and his wife want to speak to you about something very important. They're in the tunnel back there." He indicated the tunnel to the right of the commentator stand. "Normally meeting non-contestants during a duel would be...questionable to say the least, but your uncle is uh, v-very convincing."

Yuno thanked the MC and jogged into the tunnel. Sure enough, just inside the mouth, out of the eyes of the crowd and the security team, standing stoically before the MC's stand, was Yurren and Elegy. "Hey you two. Elegy, guess what. MC Judge thought you were Yurren's wife."

Elegy rubbed her cheek with her finger, giggling. Yurren gave her a small smile, but his smile faded as he focused on Yuno. "We need to talk. Right now."

"We're talking, aren't we? Shoot."

Yurren's eye twitched. He pushed himself off the wall, arms still folded. "It's about your dueling, you've made lots of sloppy mistakes."

"It's been going terrible, huh? I don't know what that card does!"

His eyes narrowing, Yurren said, "She used that card in her last duel as well. Were you not watching?"

"Uh...n-no. I...fell asleep." Yurren groaned and rubbed his eyes.

"Yuno, information is just as strong as any card."

"I know, I'm sorry! You're mad, huh?"

Yurren sighed. "No...I'm not mad, just disappointed."

That phrase made something snap in the back of Yuno's mind. He looked up at Yurren, his voice a growl. "You sound like my dad, Yurre ."

Yurren's eyes widened. His arms fell loose to his sides and his mouth fell. Anger burned in Elegy's eyes. She leaned forward, wing unfurling and barked, "Yurren is nothing like that horrid man!"

"Don't call my dad horrid!" Yuno yelled back.

They both took a step forward, but Yurren but a hand on each of their shoulders. "That's enough! We didn't come here to argue about who I am or am not like."

Yuno scoffed and looked away. Elegy looked at her feet, wing returning to its neutral position. "Yuno, I'm sorry I set you off like that. I didn't mean to."

"It's fine...so are you going to give me some advice or what?"

Yurren's eyebrow arched high and his thin lips curled into a frown. "Brave of you to assume I'd give you advice in the middle of a duel, after you insulted me no less."

"I mean, why else would you be here?"

"To warn you."

Yuno folded his arms, leaning against the wall. "About what?"

"To control your powers, Yuno! Look at what you did!" Yurren pointed out at the damaged duel field as crews worked it over, trying to fix up what they could. "You wrecked the Duel Field and I didn't mention it earlier but you could've seriously hurt that Roland fellow!"

"I made a mistake! I lost control for a little bit."

"Yuno, the only reason I let you come here is because I thought you could control yourself! Clearly you can't."

Yuno growled. "I think it's real funny that you of all people are getting onto me about anger issues."

"..." Yurren held out his hand. "Give me your Extra Deck." Yuno obliged, sliding the cards into Yurren's palm. Yurren took the cards and fingered through them, pulling out five.

"What are you doing!?"

"I won't allow you to use these cards. In your state you might destroy the whole stadium if you summoned one of these." Yurren slid the chosen five into his breast pocket, handing the rest to Yuno.

"Y-You can't take my cards from me! I'm in complete control dammit!" Yuno slammed his fist against the tunnel wall.

'How dare he? How dare Yurren of all people tell me about my tem-'

"Look behind you."

Yuno did as he was told and a grunt of surprise caught in his throat. Hovering over his shoulders was the half-formed image of a crimson red dragon. Its dual wings spread and ethereal flames leaked from its mouth. The dragon shimmered like a mirage, barely present in this world and completely translucent. It growled at Yurren. Elegy lifted off the ground, and kicked the mirage, making it disappear like mist.

"You aren't in control at all Yuno, that's why you can't have these. You have one more duel after this till the Finals, if you can prove you're in control, I'll let you have these cards back."

"Yurren, I can't win without those!"

"Then you don't deserve to be in this tournament!" Yuno took a step back, eyes wide. "If you can't beat a level 2 Normal Monster without _these_ cards, then you don't deserve to be here!"

"I don't deserve to be here in the first place! I got in by luck!"

Elegy put her head against Yurren's shoulder, making him freeze, the angry expression he had slowly melting away as she intertwined her fingers with his. Yurren closed his eyes and took several deep breaths. Once she was sure he was calm, Elegy let go and got off him. "Forget what I said, I was just frustrated. Even if you didn't get in by the same way everyone else did, you are still in this tournament and that means you have as much as a chance as anyone else to win."

"But how do I...I can't even...what does that card do!?"

"I don't understand how she could not tell Yuno what her card does." Elegy muttered. "Isn't that against the rules?"

Yurren shook his head. "There's no rule that says you have to explain how your cards work to your opponent. It is generally considered more honest and honorable to explain your cards' effects though and pride as a duelist is (usually) extremely important (it's also considered common practice and disrespectful if you don't). Technically, Yuno doesn't need to know, his duel disk is automated, it has a database of every card inside so it knows how her card works and calculates damage appropriately."

"I see."

MC Judge's voice buzzed to life over the speakers. "2 minutes remaining! Will our two duelists please return to the Duel Field?

"So what do I do?" Yuno asked, his rage giving way to panic.

"What does he do Yurren?" Elegy asked.

Stroking his chin, Yurren looked Yuno over. He sighed for the umpteenth time today and said, "This is the last and only time I'm helping you. I should let you figure it out on your own, but to make up for what I said earlier, I'll tell you."

"Really? Yurren you're the best!"

"The card is called 'Amulet of Ambition.' It can only be equipped to a Normal Monster and when that monster battles a monster with a higher level it gains five hundred attack for the difference. Just now, when 'Phantasma Dragon' and 'Digitron' battled, 'Digitron' gained 3000 ATK. Even with the 1000 point penalty it had from 'Phantasma's' effect, it still had 3500 ATK."

"S-so that's how it works. Then I'll destroy it!"

"One minute remaining! Will Ryuno Fujiwara please return to the Duel Field?"

"When 'Amulet' is destroyed she can put it at the top of her deck."

"What?! No way! Then how do I beat it?"

"That's for you to figure out, but may I suggest not attacking with high _level_ monsters?"

That advice wasn't very helpful... "Thanks Yurren."

"Get out there and do your best, but remember to keep your temper in check." Yuno nodded and ran out of the tunnel, towards the commentator's stand.

"...Yurren?"

"Hm?"

"Do you think...he can win this duel?"

Yurren smirked. "I may tease that boy, but he's smart. He can win, I know it."

Elegy nodded in agreement, smiling gently.

* * *

Yuno returned to the MC's desk, retrieving his Duel Disk and locking in back onto his wrist. The cheerleader reattached the mic and Yuno returned to his place on the field with Louise standing across from him. He pulled his Hand out from the top of his deck and looked through his cards carefully.

['May I suggest not attacking with high _level_ monsters?']

'Sarcastic little...I'm glad he told me what that card does...but what can I do against it? Pretty much every card in my deck is level 7 or above, except for the low ATK tuners! The best I can do is wait to get my 'Sprial Flame Strike' card. Let's see...' Yuno cast a glance at Odd-Eyes Arc Pendulum Dragon, 'Next turn I can use 'Arc Pendulum Dragon's' ability to Special Summon 'Odd-Eyes Wizard Dragon.' Once 'Wizard Dragon' bites the dust, I can bring out another 'Odd-Eyes' and add 'Spiral Flame Strike' to my hand! Perfect!'

"We're sorry for the interruption duel fans! We worked with the Solid Vision system but were unable to find any issues. We rebooted the whole thing and, hopefully, there won't be any further problems. In case you forgot, let me fill you in on what happened! Ryuno-"

'...but it's not perfect. That would take way too long! Unless I'm planning on ramming monsters into that 'Digitron,' it would take least 3 turns! Her field could look completely different and I'd be stuck trying to fix a problem that doesn't need fixing! I need to settle this issue by my next turn at the latest...but how?'

['May I suggest not attacking with high _level_ monsters?']

'What did he mean? High level monsters? Why'd he say it like that? High level...high...lev- That's it!'

"It's still Young Ryuno's Battle Phase! What will he do next?"

"I activate my Odd-Eyes Mirage Dragon's special ability!" Mirage dragon's eyes gleamed. It turned its reptilian head to Arc Pendulum Dragon, who began to shimmer and wave about like a distant mirage. "When an 'Odd-Eyes' monster is destroyed while 'Mirage Dragon' is in the Pendulum Zone, I can destroy one monster in my Pendulum Zone to replace it with a face-up 'Odd-Eyes' monster from my extra deck! And the one I choose is..." The mirage disappeared revealing none

other than-

"Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon! {Scale: 4}"

"Next, I'll set a monster face down and set one card face down. I end my turn, and that means I can activate my 'Pendulum Dragon's' effect!" Odd-Eyes gave a resounding roar before dissolving away. "He lets me add a Pendulum Monster with less than 1500 ATK to my hand and I choose..." He input some commands into his Duel Disk and the card popped out of the deck. He pulled it out and revealed it to Louise, "My Odd-Eyes Persona Dragon!"

"Is that all?"

"That it is."

|Turn 3: |

|Louise: 4000|  
|Yuno: 2000|

"I draw. I'll start this turn by activating 'Hidden Armory.'" She wordlessly sent the top card of her Deck to the Graveyard before pulling another card from her deck and adding it to her hand.

"W-wow folks it seems Miss Louise is not one for words." MC Judge chuckled awkwardly. "That just means we get to the action quicker, right folks?"

"I equip my 'Digitron' with 'Fairy Meteor Crush.'"

Yuno's fingers twitched. He could use his trap now... 'I only have one Spell in my hand...I can survive her attack...I need to use it on a card that would make me lose...if she has on-'

"Finally I play 'Action Magic - Full Turn.'"

'What is that card...? Could that card be the one that ends the duel?'

"Folks it looks like Louise is closing in for the kill! That card doubles battle dama-"

"I activate my Counter Trap: Ultimate Providence!" Yuno announced, pointing his arm forward as his face-down flipped up. The crowd roared at the sudden turn of events and for the first time since the duel started, Louise's face showed a hint of emotion when she scowled. "My Ultimate Providence trap lets me discard a card that's the same type as the card you just activated to negate the activation! I hate to do this but, I send 'Pendulum Halt' to the Graveyard to negate your card's activation and destroy it!" Yuno's trap shone a holy light upon Louise's spell card, which fizzled out, electricity dancing across its surface before it exploded.

Louise growled loudly, her face twisted with rage. "_Zut, ca me fait chier!_ Digitron, attack that _fils de pute's_ face-down monster!" With an electronic trill, Digitron rose up and fired two beams at Yuno's monster, which flipped up to reveal Dark Resonator {Level 3-ATK:1300/**DEF:**300}.

{Digitron's ATK: 1500 » 2000}

Dark Resonator cackled and crossed its instruments in front of his chest. The shots ricocheted off the instruments, hitting Yuno and exploding on impact, enveloping him in smoke and flame.

The smoke cleared, revealing Yuno, a confident smirk plastered on his face and Dark Resonator cackling beside him.

|Yuno: |  
|2000 » 300|

"Why isn't that vermin dead?!"

"Dark Resonator can't be destroyed by battle once per turn! Looks like you failed to finish me off."

"_Ta Gueule, Salaud!_ I end my turn."

"Not going to add some more face-downs?"

"I only need this one to destroy a _putain de merde_ like you!"

Yuno laughed. An odd feeling was washing over his body. In his chest, the tangled ball of panic and rage he had felt this entire duel fell loose. That tangled web was his power, and now it was finally free. It flowed through his body as naturally and clean as his own blood through his veins, energizing his entire body as a surge or self-confidence and determination beat within his heart.

|Turn 4: |

|Louise: 4000|  
|Yuno: 300|

"Draw!"

"I set Odd-Eyes Persona Dragon on the Pendulum Scale! {Scale - 1}" A stout, red dragon soared from the ground, bringing with it a starry blue pillar.

Yuno's hair and hoodie began to flutter about like they were caught up in a localized tempest, his hair danced like fire as it began to change color. Green leaked into the bangs and highlights as black flowed through the base and lowlights like a drop of ink staining paper. The swirling dodecagram shone bright blue, far brighter than it had before and bathed the stadium in its soft light. The audience was stunned, even MC Judge was rendered speechless by the display.

"And now with my scales complete once more, our counterattack can begin!" Yuno announced and his dragons roared in agreement. "Now, I'll Pendulum Summon back two monsters:" The dodecagram stopped spinning and opened wide, launching forth two large dragons, "Welcome Odd-Eyes Arc Pendulum Dragon {Level 7-**ATK:**2700/DEF:2000} and Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon {Level 7-**ATK:**2500/DEF:2000}!"

"What you do with those two? Ram them into my 'Digitron' again?" Louise sneered.

Yuno threw out his arm, directing his palm at the center of the arena. There was a twinkle then a black portal that shimmered like a galaxy opened wide. "I overlay my two level 7 monsters: Odd-Eyes Arc Pendulum Dragon and Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!" The two dragons roared, turning into purple lights that shot upwards, spiraling around each other before diving into the portal.

Icy Mist exploded forth from the portal, filling the arena as a blast of cold wind blew over the audience. Crystal-esque snowflakes fluttered through the air.A pair of blue and green eyes gleamed through the mist.

"Frigid dragon with heterochromatic eyes, turn this world into a frozen tundra! Let all who feel your intense chill know your absolute wrath!"The sound of ice cracking and grinding against itself filled the air and a claw ripped through the mist, revealing a hulking dragon covered in ice like armor. Its X-Shaped wings crackled as the water in the air froze solid. It swiped its long tail, snapping it against the ground like a whip and howling!

"Freeze everything you see: Odd-Eyes Absolute Dragoooooon!" {Rank 7:**ATK:**2800/DEF:2500}

"Now I activate my Spell Card: Spiral Flame Strike!" Absolute Dragon's eyes gleamed and the trademark 'Odd-Eyes' black and crimson flames leaked from its mouth, chest swelling. "Since I have an 'Odd-Eyes' on the field I can destroy one card on the field! Absolute Dragon, take aim at her face-down!" Absolute unleashed the flames with such force it pushed it back, feet grinding against the Duel Field. The spiral jet shot through Louise's face-down, blowing a hole through the middle, and it exploded!

"My Justi-Break! You-!"

"Odd-Eyes Absolute Dragon, attack! Zero Kelvin Strike!" The air grew even colder as Absolute opened its mouth wide and ice crept along the ground beneath its feet, covering the whole field in a fine sheet. A burst of ice blasted from its mouth washing over Digitron, freezing it into a block of ice. Absolute growled and curled its toes in, leaving only its blade like feet, with which he kicked off, body bent straight, skating towards its frozen victim. With a screech, it span around and slammed its tail into Digitron, blowing it to pieces!

"AAAARRRGH! _C'est des conneries!_"

|Louise: |  
|4000 » 2700|

"Dark Resonator, your turn!" Before Dark Resonator could even float close enough to attack, a blast of ice froze him over.

"Wh-whw-what is t-t-th-this?" MC Judge tried to announce through his chattering teeth, "I-is Ry-ryuno's monster g-guh-going AWOL?"

"I activated Absolute Dragon's special effect! By detaching a XYZ Material from him, I can negate an attack, ANY attack!" {Overlay Units: 2 » 1} "Then I get to Special Summon an 'Odd-Eyes' from my hand or Graveyard! I choose the monster I just sent there, Odd-Eyes Arc Pendulum Dragon!" {Level 7-**ATK:**2700/DEF:2000}

Absolute roared, shooting ice into the Monster Zone beside him. The ice formed a sculpture in the shape of 'Arc Pendulum Dragon.' The sculpture shattered, revealing 'Arc Pendulum,' who announced its revival with another echoing roar.

_"Casse-toi! Casse-toi! Casse-toi!"_ Louise grabbed her head, screeching. "HOW?! HOW CAN I LOSE TO THIS STUPID LITTLE-?!"

"No mercy! Finish her off Odd-Eyes Arc Pendulum Dragon!" Arc Pendulum's crystals began to glow, going from the tip of his tail to his massive crystals on its back and shoulders to the ball orb in his chest. Light shot from the tips of the crystals in its back and shoulders, hitting the one on his head. Light spilled out from its mouth and it took aim at Louise. "Spiral Arc Shot!" A beam of light fired from Arc's mouth, engulfing Louise.

"ARRRRHHH!"

|Louise: |  
|2700 » 0|

"I-i-it's-! It's!" MC Judge's teeth were chattering so bad he couldn't speak properly. "He won!" Judge settled for just pointing at Yuno.

"Alright! We did it!" Arc Pendulum and Absolute reared back and roared their victory to the crowd as Yuno raised his fist in triumph. A smirk curling his face, he turned to Absolute Dragon. "Talk about an 'ice' comeback, huh?"

A rumbling growl echoed through its chest and it whipped its tail around, smacking Yuno over the head before it, and the rest of Yuno's monsters disappeared from the field. With Absolute's disappearance, the arena started to slowly return to its normal temperature. The energy blade on Yuno's Duel Disk disappeared, and he returned his cards to their proper places.

"We-well! T-that was quite the c-cold reception...but we do have a winner! Mister Ryuno Fujiwara will be moving onto the semifinals!" MC Judge's words hit him with a start. The semifinals? He was already in the semifinals? Awesome! "Our underdog is making a name for himself!"

Yuno removed his microphone and handed it to one of the cheerleaders before approaching the commentator's stand. "Hey."

"Hmmm?" MC Judge turned off his mic and peered at Yuno. "How can I help you Mister Fujiwara?"

"Thanks. For saying what that 'Action Magic' card did, I mean."

"Hmph!" Judge folded his arms and looked away comically. "I wasn't doing it for you of course, that'd be unprofessional. I was just explaining what it did for the crowd, though I do think Miss Louise's behavior was rather unsportsmanlike." He unfolded his arms, returning to his jovial self. "I'm rooting for you Young Ryuno! You've got what it takes to dominate this tournament!" He held out his hand and Yuno gave him a high five!

"Thanks man!" Yuno beamed and left the MC alone, returning to the R&R room, that sense of pride still flickering in his chest.


	6. The Semi-Finals

Yuno collapsed onto the Rest Room's couch. This time, he was going to watch the duels like he was supposed to. A knock on the door interrupted his viewing however, it swung open to reveal Yuji and Bloom.

"Hey big brother! Congratulations on winning!" Yuji ran up to hug Yuno, but he pushed him back. "That was really cool!"

Yuno ignored his little brother, looking at the open doorway. He addressed Bloom, "Where's Yurren?"

"He thought you'd be sick of seeing him by now. I'm just escorting Yuji." She added, answering Yuno's unasked question. "Though he does have some words for you."

"Great, what now?"

Bloom looked expectantly at Yuji, who was digging in his pockets for something. "Got it," he declared, pulling a napkin absolutely COVERED in chicken scratch. "Yurren told me all these things to say, thought I couldn't remember it, so he wrote it down. Wow, this is really hard to read..."

Yuji cleared his throat and began: ["De-dead? (Oh, 'dear.') Dear Yuji - Congrut-? Congratulations on winnnn-ing. That was a spectacular(?) comeback. I do hope you learned your lesson and...will take your op-pun...pan? ("I believe that says, 'Opponents'" Bloom said.) opponents! Take your Opponents more seriously in the fure? (Oh, 'future.') By the way, do you have sumon(?) chants for Vortox and-"]

Bloom grabbed Yuji on the shoulder, looking solemn. "You tried your best, let me do the rest."

"Oh...okay..."

["By the way, do you have summon chants for Vortex and Meteorburst? I don't remember if you do, so forgive me if this is pointless, but you should think up some for them. No, a summoning chat isn't just something that sounds cool, it did have a purpose thousands of years ago during the first Shadow Games, humans just forgot (I got all this information from a passing duel spirit, so take it as you will:) The 'Summoning Chant' is part of the ancient ritual for summoning monsters (No, I don't mean Ritual Summoning, I mean the ritual for summoning). It's used to honor the powerful monsters whose might you are borrowing. It appeases the spirits of the monster and makes them more appreciative of you, plus it's just polite. I say this because if you have a chant for Absolute, but not the other two, that could easily make them feel unappreciated. Yuno, duel spirits are the most vital part of a deck. They aren't just the 'monsters' their cards represent. By connecting with your deck (the spirits that inhabit it),your deck will respond to your wishes. Elegy just told me I'm being to verbose again, she also told me to stop writing-"]

Bloom flipped over to the back. ["In case your attention span is that awful, let me paraphrase: Make summoning chants for the other two dragons because it will make them happy. I'm proud of how you performed last round but don't get cocky, though that display of control was very impressive, I still don't think it safe to return those cards to you yet. Stay in control next round and I'll return one or two to you. -Yurren"]

"Awww! I was supposed to read that!"

"With how bad Yurren's handwriting is, I doubt anyone is supposed to read it."

Yuno furrowed his brow as Yuji and Bloom discussed Yurren's handwriting. Is that really where summoning chants came from? It kind of made sense but...why would Yurren care about his monsters like that? "Bloom, do you know why Yurren's bringing up this chant stuff?"

"He probably sensed some discord in your deck or something. He's always been very spiritually in-tune with monsters."

"You make him sound like a monk."

Bloom chortled. "Yeah, because the first thing I think of when I think of Yurren is 'zen.' I'd say troubled, personally."

"Now he sounds like a juvenile delinquent!"

"I'm going to tell him you said that."

"Nooooo! Don't~!" Yuno laughed, "Thanks for coming you two."

"Wait!" Yuji ran forward, pulling out his Extra Deck. "Here!" Yuno narrowed his eyes as his brother approached. "I know its hard not dueling with a full Extra Deck, so you can use some of mine!"

"Yuji, I don't use that many level 4 monsters. Using your cards would just make my deck worse."

Bloom stiffened and looked back at Yuno, startled. Yuji pulled his cards back, sliding them into his deck box. "O-oh...right, guess I wasn't thinking."

"That's nothing new... Yuno muttered.

"You're welcome. Can we go now Bloom?"

"Of course." The two turned and left the room. Yuno sighed and sat back on the couch. He probably sounded way meaner than he meant to...he knew Yuji was just trying to help but it-

The door opened again and a blur of white dashed in. Yuno barely had time to look up before a fist drove itself deep into his stomach!

"UUUghgoH!" Yuno grabbed his stomach, doubling over and falling off the couch. He gazed up at his attacker and found out it was none other than Bloom. "W-w-why...?"

"That's for being mean to Yuji when he was just trying to help." With that, she left the room again.

"P-point taken..."

Yuno knew Yurren told him to watch the other duels for a reason, but only while watching them did Yuno appreciate just what great advice it was. As he watched, he picked up on key strategies that each duelist used. That Sofia woman he'd met after his first duel used Plant-Type monsters. She focused on summoning these 'Princess' cards and retriving her monsters from the Graveyard to fill her field with extremely powerful Plants.

The door opened at Yuno looked around, seeing one of the other competitors enter. He wore a traditional Chinese Tai Chi uniform, decorated with flames along the cuffs and shoulders. His hair was neatly parted down the middle and he had a calm look to him, befitting of someone who looked like a martial arts master.

"Ah, you must be Young Ryuno Fujiwara." He said, his voice direct and loud. "I am Liang Song."

"It's a pleasure to meet you!" Yuno gestured at the spot beside him, but Liang shook his head. "I saw your duel, it was cool. Your 'Fire Fists' were a sight to behold."

"Thank you. I must say, no offense intended of course-"

Uh oh.

"-but so far you've been your own worst enemy. You're fortunate that Louise had a bad opening hand."

"That was a bad hand?" Yuno felt stunned by that knowledge...but then remembered her first turn consisted of summoning a single monster, equipping it with an equip card, then setting some cards face-down. "You have a point..."

"I can assure you that Sofia-_shi fu_ will not have as much difficulty.

"Eh? I don't-"

"It can be taken to mean many things, though the most accurate in this case would be 'skilled person.'"

"That clears that up, but why are you warning me about her?"

Liang's face froze. He turned to stare down at Yuno incredulously. "Y-you do know this is a bracket tournament, right?"

"It is?!"

With a deep, echoing sigh, Liang rubbed his temples. "It seems I'm the only one who actually saw the bracket..."

"So, who's my next opponee- It's Sofia isn't it?" Liang nodded silently. "Great..."

"Despite your lack of attention span, I believe you have a chance in this duel."

"Wait, really?"

"Indeed. You clearly have skill, you just need to hone that into a lethal point. That is the only thing that can cut through her plants."

"Really? Thanks a lot!"

"You are quite welcome."

"I'll be honest, I'm surprised how many people are here from all over the world! I mean we got two from France-"

"They aren't French."

"They aren't?"

"No. They may originate from the city that speaks French, but they are not 'French.' Ethnicities as we know them have been turned upside down by whatever happened 25 years ago. Those countries no longer exist, instead we have groups of people that congregate in the Beacon Cities and one language eventually wins out over the others. Fortuna is the biggest 'melting pot' of all the Beacon Cities, hence the abundance of names and languages that spans all kinds of ethnicities and cultures."

"Wow, really? I guess that explains how so many of my classmates can have such radically different names... How do you know all this stuff?"

"I'm an anthropologist by trade, dueling is just how I keep my bills paid. I was actually in Fortuna doing surveys when this tournament was announced."

"What were the surveys about?"

"I was trying to determine cultural percentages of the people in Fortuna. It's incredibly varied so far, but I've encountered a wide array of people from varying ethnicities with Japanese names, regardless of heritage. This is similar to Favora City to the north, where, despite the people being of varying cultures, their names are predominantly Russian, or originate from that culture at least."

Yuno had turned away from the TV completely. "Do you know why that is?"

"My guess is that the culture of the Beacon City depends on its location in the world, or where the place used to be in the world. When the dimensions collided 25 years ago, many people were displaced from their homes and thus, had to adapt to the cultures and languages of the places they landed in. That would explain a lot, but not everything."

Yuno didn't respond right away. The tragedy that happened 25 years ago didn't seem real to him. He'd seen the footage and read articles about it for class, but it still seemed so...unreal. 25 years ago,  
something shattered the boundaries of reality. Timelines, dimensions, worlds, all of them slammed into each other like a freak accident on the freeway and the result was the twisted pile-up that was their world.

Turning to Liang, Yuno asked, "Do you know what happened 25 years ago?"

Liang shook his head and chuckled. "No one does. It's a complete mystery.

The intercom buzzed to life. "Will Sofia Blumenkranz and Ryuno Fujiwara please report to the Duel Field. Sofia, take your place on Side A. Ryuno, take your place on side B."

"It seems your time has come. Good luck out there."

"Thank you," Yuno stood up and secured his Duel Disk to his wrist. "By the way, all that stuff about cultures and what not is very interesting. I never really thought about it before."

"Few do. They want to cling to the old ways of differentiating people when really, those ideas are outdated in this new world."

Yuno left Liang, waving good-bye to him. His ideas and thoughts on cultures still echoed in his head however and they made Yuno think: 'What was the old world like? What happened all those years ago?'

Emerging from the tunnel once again, he spied Sofia already in position, waiting for him. She had a big grin on her face and confidence burning in he eyes. "Oh ho! I've been waiting for du."

Taking the microphone from a cheerleader once more, Yuno said, "Is that so?"

"_Ja, Ja!_ I can't wait to duel you! Your deck intrigues me! Don't hold anything back!" She held up her wrist. A circular pad at on it, which opened up like a flower, its blades rearranging themselves into a proper place to hold her cards. Yuno ignited his Duel Disk as well.

"W-wow! It seems we aren't going to get to the introductions! These two are already rearing to go!" MC Judge chuckled weakly. "Miss Sofia, heads or tails?"

"Tails!"

"Aaaaaaaaaand-! Tails it is!"

"Then I shall go first."

"Bring it on!"

"L-Ladies and Gentlemen, let the Semi-finals of the Fortuna Cup begin!" MC Judge howled. He was at a loss for words, he'd never been so overwhelmed by the contestants before. They didn't want to waste any time on the formalities or showmanship of it and wanted to get straight into the action.

"DUEL!"

Turn 1:

|Sofia: 4000|  
|Yuno: 4000|

"Hmmm..." Sofia placed her fingers to her chin, lost in thought as she looked her cards over. "I'll start with _mein_ 'Rose Bell of Revelation'," she announced finally, slapping the card in place. "This Spell lets me add _ein_ Plant-Type Monster with 2400 or more ATK to _mein_ hand!" A rose materialized above her, it bloomed, revealing a bell in the center, which chimed loudly. "I shall add _mein_ 'Gigaplant' to _mein_ hand!"

'This is the combo she used earlier... That Gigaplant will be a threat, so I'll take care of it fast!'

"Now I shall have _mein_ Lonefire Blossom {Level 3-**ATK:**500/DEF:1400} bloom unto the field!" Vine sprouted from the ground, twisting into bomb-shaped bud. "I tribute _mein_ Blossom to Special Summon _ein_ plant from _mein_ deck!" The flower exploded! Smoke spewed across the field, when it cleared, a large Maple bud, easily twice as tall as Sofia, stood on the field.

"I summon Chirubime, Princess of Autumn Leaves! {Level 8-**ATK:**1800/DEF:2800}"

The maple bud twitched and wriggled about before finally unfurling, revealing a large woman, bedecked in a dress that resembled leaves and a round head dress made from maple leaves.

"Next I activate 'The World Tree'!" Behind Chirubime, a massive tree sprouted out of the ground, growing to be level with the rows in the middle of the stands. "I shall set _ein_ card face down and end _mein_ turn."

Turn 2:

|Sofia: 4000|  
|Yuno: 4000|

"Draw!"

'I don't recall her using 'The World Tree' in the duel I watched. I'll have to be careful...'

"I start this duel by setting my Pendulum Scale with 'Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon' {Scale - 4} and 'Performapal Celestial Magician' {Scale - 8}!"

Two massive starry pillars burst from the ground, Odd-Eyes in one, and a sinister looking magician dressed in a silver cloak with angular dark wings and wielding two curved scythes in the other. "Next I activate 'Resonator Call' which lets me add a Resonator monster from my Deck to my hand, and I choose..." Yuno opened a menu on his Duel Disk's screen and scrolled through the list of cards in his Deck. "My 'Flare Resonator'!" he declared. He pushed the image of the card on his Duel Disk and a card slid out of his deck, which he took.

"Now I'll Pendulum Summon!"

The dodcegram opened and, from it came a distinct "WOOHOOOOOO!" A man dropped from the sigil, landing on his feet and rolling. He stood, spinning his weapon around between his hands and over his back like a sign spinner before stabbing one of it's two blades into the ground. "Aw yeah, its go time!

"Me-meet my-"

"Xinagke Magician! I'm level 7 with 500 DEF, but 2500 attack points ready to aim at you! {Level 7-**ATK:**2500/DEF:500}" He spun his weapon around and pointed it at Sofia, before stabbing it back into the groudn once more.

Yuno couldn't help but cringe at Xinagke's self-introduction. He always acted up like this and Yuno couldn't tell if he was playing the fool or that sure of himself. He turned his gaze to his hand. Xinagke moved to look over his shoulder. "What are you doing?"

"Just checking your cards, man. You could've used that to get 'Soul Pendulum' before you Pendulum Summoned me."

"Look man I don't need your- oh shit you're right."

"Well...it looks like Young Ryuno is getting dueling advice from his own monsters! As wacky as that is, we'll have to ask that you both stop before you break tournament rules." MC Judge announced, looking confused and annoyed.

"R-Right! Sorry! He wasn't giving me advice he was just being annoying!"

Xiangke took his place on the field proper. "What we doin' chief?"

"What I'm doing is activation Duelist Alliance!" Yuno slammed the card into place and began scrolling through his Deck List once again. "This lets me add a card with 'Pendulum' in its name to my hand! And the one I choose is...S-'Soul Pendulum.'"

Xiangke grinned smugly at Yuno, holding out his arms and beckoning. "Tell me I was right."

"No! I'm adding 'Pendulum Halt' instead!"

Xinagke slapped his hand against his face. "You can't be serious! Are you telling me you changed your card just because I was right?"

"The only thing I'm telling you is to attack Chirbuhime!" Yuno swung out his arm and pointed at Xiangke's target.

Swinging his weapon around in a show of over enthusiasm, Xiangke leapt into the sky and flew down towards the princess. The maple curled into a bud, hidingthe princess away, but Xiangke cleaved through the flower, which split in two and dissolved.

|Sofia: |  
|4000 » 3300|

"All according to plan." Sofia grinned, running her finger down her deck.

"Whoops! You blew it Yuno."

"Shut up!"

"When Chirbuhime is destroyed, I get to Special Summon _ein_ Plant Type monster from_ mein_ deck! I choose...this one!"

A massive red camellia bud sprouted onto the field, it bloomed and from it came a woman. She appeared to be almost nude, but looking down to her waist and below revealed nothing but overlapping petals, the color of flesh. She wore a crown and a veil of grass. The plant-woman looked down upon Xiangke, eyes glinting dangerously. Xinagke assumed a battle stance, returning her glare.

"Sprout Tytannial, Princess of Camellias! {Level 8-**ATK:**2800/DEF:2600}"

"Also, _mein_ 'World Tree gains_ ein_ counter because _ein_ Plant-type monster was destroyed." {Flower Counters: 0 » 1}

Yuno looked back at his hand. There wasn't a whole lot more he could do with this hand in particular. 'I wanted to use Odd-Eyes' effect to add 'Odd-Eyes Persona Dragon' to my hand, then use it and 'Flare Resonator' next turn to Summon Red Dragon Archfiend with an extra 300 ATK. Guess I gotta think up a new plan...'

"I set a card face down. My turn's done." Odd-Eyes reared back and roared. "And when I end my turn, I get to add a Pendulum monster with 1500 ATK or less to my hand.

I'll add my Wisdom-Eye Magician to my hand and that means my Odd-Eyes is destroyed!" Odd-Eyes and the pillar it was in disappeared, the dodcegram faded away as well.

Turn 3:

|Sofia: 3300|  
|Yuno: 4000|

"Draw!"

"First, I shall activate 'Seed Cannon.'" On cue, a large plant, covered in thrones burst from the ground, five orange buds sat in the middle of the five-leaved plants, all of them shriveled up and useless. "Every time I summon _ein_ Plant type monster, this destructive little plant gains _ein_ counter. So keep that in mind~"

"Well at least you're warning me about it..." Yuno muttered to himself.

"I'll be banishing _mein_ 'Rose Bell of Revelations' from my Graveyard," She pulled said card out of her Graveyard as she said this, depositing it in her breast pocket, "to Special Summon _ein_ Monster with 2400 ATK from _mein_ hand." She placed a monster onto her duel disk and a large, multi-mouthed plant with moss on it's back and Mantis like claws sprouting from its trunk. "I Special Summon Gigaplant! {Level 6-**ATK:**2400/DEF:1200}"

When Gigaplant appeared on the field, one of the buds in the plant representing 'Seed Cannon' rose out of the leaves, revealing a thick, spike covered spine.

{Seed Counters: 0 » 1}

"Now that I have Gigaplant on the field, I'll Normal Summon it!"

{Seed Counters: 1 » 2}

"Huh?"

"Oh boy! For those of you who missed it in Sofia's last duel, that Gigaplant of hers is a Gemini Monster! What means if Sofia wants to use its effect, she has to Normal Summon it again!"

"Not that it matter in this case of course, because Gigaplant's effect makes up for losing _mein_ Normal Summon!" Sofia pulled a card from her Graveyard and set it on her field. "_Mein_ Gigaplant allows _mein_ wilted flowers to bloom again. I Special Summon Chirubime, Princess of Autumn Leaves {Level 8-**ATK:**1800/DEF:2800} from my Graveyard!" The massive maple sprouted from the ground, unfurled, and revealed Chirubime once more.

{Seed Counters: 2 » 3}

"Time to fight. Tytannial, attack Xiangke Magicain!" Tytannial raised her hands and vines sprouted from the earth. She pointed at Xiangke and the vines shot towards him, wrapping him up tight and lifting him high into the air!

Xiangke struggled about, yelling at the Prciness, "Let me go you crazy-!"

**BOOM BOOM BOOM**

The vines slammed Xiangke against the ground, lifted him up and slammed again and again and again with increasing speed and ferocity until they flung him at Yuno. Yuno lifted his arms to protect himself, but that did little as he crashed into him, knocking him over, before disappearing.

"Aaah!"

|Yuno: |  
|4000 » 3700|

"OH NO! With no monsters to protect himself, is Young Ryuno plant food?!"

"I play my face-down, Command Resonator!" Yuno lifted his clenched fist as he explained, "I get to ditch a Resonator in my hand to add a level 4 or lower Fiend-type monster to my hand." He moved Flare Resonator to the Graveyard as he spoke.

"That will not save you! Attack, Gigaplant!" Gigaplants claws shot across the ground, ready to slash Yuno!

Yuno slapped a card onto the field, and the claws rebounded off an invisible barrier. The vines retreated, revealing bat like creature with pendulum swinging between its wings.

"What?"

"The card I added to my hand was Battle Fader. When I'm direct attacked and I have this little guy in my hand, I can Special Summon him in Defense mode {Level 1-ATK:0/**DEF:**0} and end the Battle Phase, but he gets banished at the end of the turn."

"Well done."

The crowd exploded! Cheers filled the arena at the sudden turn of events, and MC Judge was howling! "Just when he's about to lose, Young Ryuno pulls himself from the jaws of defeat! This Duel's been pretty back and forth so far, let's see if that trend continues!"

"I end mein turn."

"I'm up then"

Turn 4:

|Sofia: 3300|  
|Yuno: 3700|

Yuno drew his next card and added it to his hand. "I activate Spiral Flame Strike!"

"Hold on there, I saw your last duel. You need _ein_ 'Odd-Eyes' the field to activate that card."

"I can also use it to add a Level 7 'Odd-Eyes' to my hand!" And he did just that, adding 'Odd-Eyes Saber Dragon' to his hand. He opened his mouth to announce his intention to Pendulum Summon, but froze. He forgot he didn't have a complete scale at the moment. "I'll sent my Wisdom-Eye Magician to the scale! {Scale - 5}" The magician began to appear in a blue pillar, but left the Pendulum Zone almost immediately. "I activate his effect to destroy it and set a 'Magician' monster into my Pendulum Scale and I choose Dragonpulse Magician! {Scale - 1}"

"Now! I'll Pendulum Summon out my Odd-Eyes Saber Dragon {Level 7-**ATK:**2800/DEF:2000} and return Xiangke Magician {Level 7-**ATK:**2500/DEF: 500} and Pendulum Dragon {Level 7-**ATK:**2500/DEF:2000} to my field!" A new dragon appeared, covered in sharp, blade-like armor with large sword-esqe wings jutting out from behind its shoulders. Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon and Xinagke took their place beside the dragon and prepared for battle.

"Saber Dragon, attack that Chiburime!" Saber Dragon roared and fired a beam of yellow energy at Chiburime. She once again retreated into her flower, only to be destroyed right away.

|Sofia: |  
|3300 » 2300|

{Flower Counters: 1 » 2}

"Now to Special Summon another Plant from _mein_ deck! I choose Talaya, Princess of Cherry Blossoms!" On cue, a cherry blossom bud appeared on the field, sprouting to show an elegant woman with pale skin and in beautiful flowing Japanese garments.

"It won't matter! Odd-Eyes Saber Dragon's effect activates!" Saber Dragon' eyes gleamed and blades extended from its arms, which glowed with ethereal energy. "When he destroys a monster by battle,I get to destroy a monster on the field!" Yuno pointed at Tatylanna, "At that overgrown weed has gotta go! Time for some lawn care Saber Dragon!" Saber Dragon roared and slashed its swords sending an X-Shaped projectile at Tatylanna. The attack disappeared before hitting her however, scattering into cherry blossoms and fluttering away. "What?"

"Talaya's effect! Other Plant-Type Monsters can't be destroyed by card effects!" Sofia declared smugly.

"Even so, my Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon will still burn that overgrown weed to ash! G-gigaplant...I mean. Look I don't have good plant based insults! Just attack." Odd-Eyes fired its crimson-black flames at Gigaplant. The fires engulfed Gigaplant and it swiftly burned to ash. "Odd-Eyes has a special effect that deals DOUBLE the battle damage! Meaning you take...tw-two hundred."

|Sofia: |  
|2300 » 2100|

{Flower Counters: 2 » 3}

"Is that all? I bet you were planning on winning the duel this turn."

"Less like planning and more like hoping..." A good-natured laugh echoed through the stadium, rippling through the crowd like a wave.

Yuno pointed at the center of the field and shouted, "I fill the Overlay Network with my two Level 7's: Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon and Odd-Eyes Saber Dragon!" The spiraling portal opened and the two dragons dove in. Icy mist exploded outwards, though the chill was far more subdued compared to the Arctic cold snap that fell on the arena last time. Blue and Green eyes gleamed through the mist.

"Frigid dragon with heterochromatic eyes, turn this world into a frozen tundra! Let all who feel your intense chill know your absolute wrath!" The ice covered dragon's claws tore apart the mist, revealing its full body. It snapped its tail across the ground and roared!

"Freeze everything you see: Odd-Eyes Absolute Dragon!" {Rank 7:**ATK:**2800/DEF:2500|Overlay Units: 2}

"Whoa! Yuno's super cool dragon has taken the stage once more! I'd recommend everyone in the front rows get a jacket, because this duel just took a turn for the Arctic!"

"I end my turn."

Turn 5:

|Sofia: 2100|  
|Yuno: 3700|

Sofia drew her next card and smiled dangerously. "I shall play _mein_ 'Foolish Burial' card and send _mein_ 'Rose Lover' to the Graveyard." She took a card from her deck and slid it into her Graveyard, just as she said. "Next, I'll discard _mein_ 'Rose Paladin!' By sending this brave warrior to the Graveyard I can add another Plant Type monster to _mein_ hand, as long as its Level 7 or higher. I choose Marina, Princess of Sunflowers."

She took the card out of her deck, revealing it to Yuno before shuffling it into her hand.

"Now for _mein_ 'The World Tree!' I remove three flower counters to revive _ein_ Plant-Type in _mein_ Graveyard." Roots from the World Tree spread into a free Monster Zone and a maple bud sprouted on them. "I return Chirubime, Princess of Autumn Leaves to the field! {Level 8-ATK:1800/**DEF:**2800}"

{Seed Counters: 3 » 4}

{Flower Counters: 3 » 0}

"For _mein_ last move, I banish 'Rose Lover' from the Graveyard to summon forth Marina, Princess of Sunflowers! {Level 8-**ATK:**2800/DEF:1600}" A sunflower sprouted up, revealing a woman with tan skin and a head ornament decorated like a sunflower.

{Seed Counters: 4 » 5 (MAX)}

With the creaking groan on vines growing and stretching, the buds of 'Seed Cannon' were now towering over the field, each one aimed down at Yuno. "I shall send mein fully grown 'Seed Cannon' to the Graveyard to deal you 500 damage for each Seed Counter on it." The bulbs swelled and each one fired a stream of seeds down upon Yuno. An explosion of dust filled the air.

|Yuno: |  
|3700 » 1200|

"By the way, did I forget to mention that _mein_ Talaya gains ATK for every Plant-Type monster on _mein_ field?"

"Somehow...you forgot that part..."

"Hmhmhm~ Well she does~"

{Talaya's ATK: 2800 » 3200}

"Time to battle! Marina, you attack first! Go after that Absolute Dragon!" Marina lifted her arms up, summoning vines from the ground, and directed them at Absolute Dragon.

'She's not attacking Xiangke? But why not-?'

"I detach an Overlay material from Absolute Dragon to negate that attack! Solid Freezing!" Absolute grabbed one of the blue balls circling it with its mouth and crushed it.

{Overlay Units: 2 » 1}

It let loose a freezing breath that froze the vines in place, stopping their attack. "And now I get to summon out my Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon {Level 7-**ATK:**2500/DEF:2000} from the Graveyard!"

"Tytannial, you're up!" Once again vines plowed their way towards Absolute Dragon!

"I detach my last material to negate that attack and resummon Odd-Eyes Saber Dragon {Level 7-**ATK:**2800/DEF:2000}!"

{Overlay Units: 1 » 0}

Yuno grit his teeth and Sofia smirked. "Talaya, attack Xiangke Magician!" Vines wrapped around Xinagke and lifted him into the air.

"Not agaaaain!" He screamed as he was once again slammed on the ground before being flung at Yuno.

|Yuno: |  
|1200 » 500|

"Now for _mein_ Quick-Play Spell, Galaxy Storm! I'm sure you'll enjoy this."

"I doubt it..." Yuno groaned as he returned to his feet.

"Galaxy Storm destroys _ein_ XYZ monster that has no materials under it! I added this card to _mein_ deck just for you~"

Absolute Dragon exploded and Yuno covered his face to shield from the explosion before swinging his arm out. "Absolute Dragon's second effect activates when he's destroyed! I get to Special Summon an 'Odd-Eyes' from my Extra Deck!"

Pulling an 'Odd-Eyes' from his extra deck, Yurren's words suddenly hit him. ["Make summoning chants for the other two dragons, it will make them happy."]

'These things don't just come at the drop of a hat, but I'll try.'

"S-soaring dragon with heterochromatic eyes, let your winds envelop the earth! Spread your wings and spread your tempest across all you see!

A green dragon with two sets of bright orange wings rocketed out of Yuno's extra deck. It roared and soared into the sky, turning over and diving, descending to the ground in a tornado. It snapped its tail against the ground and howled into the heavens, dispersing its accompanying tornado.

"Ascend through the heavens, Odd-Eyes Vortex Dragon! {Level 7-**ATK:**2500/DEF:3000}"

Vortex Dragon's eyes gleamed and it reared back, taking flight once more. "When Vortex is summoned, I get to target one monster on your field and return it to your hand, so say goodbye to that Talaya!" Vortex Dragon pulled back its wings and flapped them, sending a raging whirlwind across Sofia's field.

"I think not boy! I use Tytannial's special ability! By tributing _eins_ Plant-Type Monster, I can negate your monster's effect and destroy it!" On cue, Chibuime's body turned into vines, vines which Tytannial commanded to latch onto Vortex Dragon.

"No ya don't! I use Vortex Dragon's ability! By returning a face-up Pendulum Monster from my Extra Deck to my deck I can negate your monster's effect and destroy it!" Yuno took Wisdom-Eye Magician and returned it to the deck. Vortex Dragon dove under the vines, evading their attempt to grab him and return him to the ground, and shot a blade of wind at Tytannial from its tail.

Sofia laughed and gestured at Tayala. "Because of Tayala's effect, Tytannial isn't destroyed!"

"But her effect is still negated, meaning Tayala returns to your hand!" The whirlwind centered in upon Tayala, blowing her off of the field.

"I'll set _eins_ card face-down. Your turn _Junger_." Sofia grinned, "Your skills are impressive, I'm having fun!"

Turn 6:

|Sofia: 2100|  
|Yuno: 500|

"Draw! I Pendulum Summon Xinagke Magician {Level 7-**ATK:**2500/DEF:500} back from the Extra Deck!" A red light caught Yuno's eye. He turned to see that the pillar Celestial Magician was in had turned red.

"Uh oh! It seems Young Ryuno's 'Celestial Magician' is about to experience a 'Pendulum Break!'"

"Crap...guess I better make this turn really count... Time to battle! Odd-Eyes Saber Dragon, wipe out-"

"I think not! I play 'Wall of Thorns!' It destroys all your Attack Position monsters!"

"What? NOOO!"

On cue, a wall of thorns exploded from the ground, enveloping Yuno's entire field. With a sickening crunch, all the monsters on Yuno's field were destroyed.

"I play Celestial Magician's effect!" Celestial Magician flew out of the Pendulum Zone. Taking his scythes, he drew a large black circle in the air above Yuno. The image within the circle cracked and Celestial Magician disappeared. "By destroying him I can Special Summon a Fusion, Synchro, or XYZ monster that was just destroyed! I Special Summon Odd-Eyes Vortex Dragon! {Level 7-ATK:2500/**DEF:**3000}" Vortex Dragon burst through the circle, landing on the field and roaring. "Since I Special Summoned Vortex Dragon, his special effect-"

"I think not! I play the counter trap 'Pollionsis' which lets me negate the Special Summon of your monster! I tribute Marina to do so!" The sunflower around Marina closed around her, bulged outward, then spewed pollen into the air. Vortex Dragon got a good whiff of it and began sneezing violently, falling from the air and slamming into the ground. It sneezed and sneezed until it sneezed so hard it quite literally exploded.

Yuno growled. He only had one card in his hand...this...situation couldn't get much worse. His only chance to win this duel, ironically, was all up to chance... "I set a monster in defense mode and end my turn!"

Turn 7:

|Sofia: 2100|  
|Yuno: 500|

Sofia drew without looking. "I activate _mein_ face-down card, Overdoom Line! Now every Plant-Type monster I revive gains 1000 ATK until the end of this turn. I play Monster Reborn to Special Summon Marina, Princess of Sunflowers! {Level 8-**ATK:**2800/DEF:1600} Finally, I shall activate Miracle Fertilizer from _mein_ hand! This lets me Special Summon _ein_ Plant-Type Monster from _mein_ Graveyard as well, so I shall revive Chirubime, Princess of Autumn Leaves! {Level 8-**ATK:**1800/DEF:2800}"

{Marina's ATK: 2800 » 3800}

{Chirubime's ATK: 1800 » 2800}

"WHOA! All of Yuno's hard work to get those ladies to leave the field last turn has amounted to nothing! He has not Spells or Traps, only one card in his Pendulum Zones, and a single monster in Defense mode against an army of nigh invincible Plant Princesses! This is an example of 'Flower Power' at its finest!"

"It was fun J_unger_, but this duel is over! Tayala, destroy his face down monster!" Tayala raised her folding fan in the air, summoning forth vines like the rest, launching them at Yuno's card.

The card flipped up to reveal an odd little robot. It had metallic blonde 'hair' and long white 'Coat' fastened together with a large 'A' for a buckle and a jetpack {Level 1-ATK:0/**DEF:**0}. The vines wasted no time wrapping themselves around the robot and crushing it into nothingness. Yuno slid the card into his graveyard, as the audience roared.

"Chirubime, why don't you be the one to finish this young man off, as revenge for all the times he destroyed you this duel?" Chirubime pulled vines forth from the earth and Sofia smiled sadly. _"Vergib mir, Junge. Auf Wiedersehen!"_

The vines shot at Yuno and the robot that was destroyed earlier flew from Yuno's duel disk, it made a sharp U-turn and grabbed the top card of Yuno's deck, putting it on the field before soaring off into the sky! "I activate my Trap!" Yuno roared. The card materialized into a solid yellow mirror-like barrier. The vines slammed against the mirror, making it shatter, but the pieces formed arrows that shot through all of Sofia's monsters. They disappeared into their cards, which flipped over, placing all of her monsters in face-down defense mode.

_"Was zur Holle war das!?"_

Yuno smirked. He pulled a card from his back pocket and revealed it to Sofia. "That card you destroyed was Absolute King Back Jack! When King Back Jack is sent to the Graveyard, I get to excavate the top 3 cards of my deck and put them back in any order I want."

"That doesn't explain your Trap Card!"

"Easy, during my opponent's turn, I can remove Back Jack from play to look at the top card of my deck, and if it's a Normal Trap I can set it on the field AND activate it this turn! And my trap was the devastating Quaking Mirror Force! This card flips all your Attack Position monsters into Defense Mode, also you can't change their battle positions either!"

Sofia's confusion and rage melted away. She began to clap slowly, laughing like a mad woman. "_Wunderbar! Wunderbar, Wunderbar!_ How do you say in your language? _Subarushi?"_

_"Subarashii-desu."_

"Yes, That certainly was wonderful! In one flawless move, Yuno has turned the tables!"

{Marina's ATK: 3800 » 2800}

{Chirubime's ATK: 2800 » 1800}

Turn 8:

|Sofia: 2100|  
|Yuno: 500|

"I draw! I activate Pendulum Halt! If I have 3 or more Pendulum Monsters with different names face-up in my Extra Deck I can draw 2 cards!" He drew two more cards. "I set another monster face-down and end my turn."

Turn 9:

|Sofia: 2100|  
|Yuno: 500|

"I draw." Sofia looked over her field and smirked. "Because of that troublesome card, all _mein_ monsters are stuck like this, meaning I only have one working Monster Zone until I find a card to clear _mein_ field. I activate _mein_ Miracle Fertilizer to Special Summon Gigaplant from the Graveyard! {Level 6-**ATK:**2400/DEF:1200}" The moss covered plant pulled its way from the earth and howled at Yuno.

Sofia pointed at his face-down and roared, "Attack, Gigaplant!" Gigaplant's claw like vines swung down at the card. The card flipped up, a Resonator with a massive clock on its back emerged from it. Gigaplant's claws bounced off the monster as it cackled.

"Once per turn, Clock Resonator can't be destroyed, so we're both safe! {Level 3-ATK:1200/**DEF:**600}"

"Clever."

Turn 10:

|Sofia: 2100|  
|Yuno: 500|

Yuno drew his next card. "I set White Wing Magician {Scale: 8} and my second Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon {Scale: 4} on the Pendulum Scales and Pendulum Summon out my Odd-Eyes Persona Dragon {Level 5-ATK:1200/**DEF:**2400} and Xinagke Magician! {Level 7-**ATK:**2500/DEF:500}"

"It's time...it's finally time to end this duel! I tune Clock Resonator with Odd-Eyes Persona Dragon!" Clock Resonator hit its little instruments together and shot into the air, Persona Dragon right behind it. Clock split into three rings and Persona burst into 5 balls of light. The orbs passed through the rings and a pillar of flame erupted from the earth!

"The Earth shakes and mountains burn to ash! Creation itself trembles as this mighty beast roars! Behold, The very soul of the King: Red Dragon Archfiend! {Level 8-**ATK:**3000/DEF:2500}"

Red Dragon Archfiend ripped his way through the flames and roared at Sofia. His wings beat powerfully against the wind and the screams of the audience.

Sofia's eyes lit up as she stared at the massive dragon. "There he is...it took you a while to come out, eh?"

"Sorry for the wait. Here's my Red Dragon Archfiend!"

"I'm impressed. I just wish I had the cards to give the big guy a proper fight."

Yuno chuckled. "Ms. Sofia, I just want to say that this duel was super awesome from start to end!"

"_Ja_, that it was."

The smile on Yuno's turned serious. He pointed at Gigaplant and roared, "Red Dragon Archfiend, attack Gigaplant! Absolute Powerforce!" Red Dragon roared in agreement. He shot off, gliding across the ground as he pulled back his flaming fist. His fist plowed through Gigaplant, ripping it from the ground and sending it soaring into the air!

|Sofia: |  
|2100 » 1500|

"Now, Red Dragon Archfiend destroys your Defense Position Monsters! Go, Fiend Meteor!" With a flap of its jet black wings, Red Dragon sent meteors cascading across Sofia's field, destroying every monster and leaving her wide open. "No mercy! Finish her off Xiangke Magician!"

Leaping into the air, Xiangke flew down upon Sofia, weapon raised high flew "Cycle of Destructioooooooooooooooooonnn! Finishing Sword Slash Strike!"

|Sofia: |  
|1500 » 0|

"IT'S OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVER! In a dazzling turnabout, Young Ryuno has taken the win!" Yuno fell to his knees, breathing heavily. Sofia was clapping along with the crowd, a grin on her face.

"Hey Red..." Red and Xiangke both looked back at Yuno. "Looks like her doom was in bloom...or something like that." He started to laugh, more out of relief then for his own failed joke.

"With this victory, Ryuno has secured his place in the finals against the fearsome Vice!"

"Vice? That's that..."

Sofia walked up to Yuno, holding out a hand for him to take, which he did. "_Ja._" She pulled him to his feet with a grunt. "He's going to be your hardest opponent yet."

Yuno nodded, clenching his fist over his chest. "Yeah, I'm looking forward to it." His heart was thudding loud in his chest.

This was it. He'd won the semi-finals.

On to the finals...


	7. The End of the Fortuna Cup

"Well folks, it's been a long time coming, but we've finally reached the grand finals."

Yuno locked his deck in place.

"It's been a long a grueling brawl from all contestants, but we've finally reached our final two duelists!"

His duel disk whirred as it shuffled his deck for him.

"On side A, we have the prodigy, Ryuno Fuji-WARA!" Yuno took a deep breath and exited the tunnel to be greeted by the cheers of the crowd. He spied Vice on the other end of the duel field, duel disk already in position. Their eyes locked, both refusing to look away. They were in silent agreement, no words needed to be exchanged.

"Young Ryuno has come a very long way, and he's looking to take it all the way! Can his 'Red Dragon Archfiend' pull out another victory?"

"On side B we have the Merciless Master himself: John Cassian!" On cue, Vice excited his own tunnel across from Yuno's. He looked as grim and solemn as ever as he scowled at Yuno. "This guy has menacing the Pro Circuit as of late and is looking to become the champion of Fortuna City! Will his 'Amorphage Goliath' be what wins him the day? It all comes down to this Duel Fans!"

"We've already determined that Mr. Cassian will be taking the first turn so without further ado; LET THE FINALS OF THE FORTUNA CUP BEGIN!"

"DUEL!"

Turn 1:

|Vice: 4000|  
|Yuno: 4000|

"I draw."

"I Set one Monster and set two cards face-down. I end my turn."

Turn 2:

|Vice: 4000|  
|Yuno: 4000|

"Go time! As Yuno pulled his cards in to look them over, a voice echoed in his head. ["So, it has begun, has it?"] The voice was deep and proud, and it invoked the mental image of a rightous old king.

"Huh? What are you doing here?"

"Who are you talking to?!" Vice spat, making Yuno jump.

["You may want to keep this conversation internal."]

'Fair point. What are you doing here? I thought Yurren took you.' Yuno pulled out his extra deck and looked through it. 'You aren't in my Extra Deck so-'

["Haha. My powers are not so limited that I can not speak to you simply because I am not in your Extra Deck."]

'Sorry.'

["No need to apologize. I came to wish you luck."]

'Right, thank you!' Yuno took a look down at his cards. 'I got some of these cards last duel...I thought my Duel Disk shuffled it.'

["It did."]

'Then why-?'

["What do you think Yurren would say about that?"]

'He'd say my deck was trying to tell me something...'

["Indeed it is. Its wishing you luck as well."] With that, the voice vanished.

Yuno nodded. "Right! Let's do this guys! I start this with Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon {Scale - 4} in the Pendulum Scale!" Odd-Eyes appeared in the starry blue Pendulum Pillar.

"Next I activate Scared Sword of Seven Stars!" The card exploded into seven shining dots that formed into the Big Dipper just above his head. The golden sword shot out and impaled itself in the ground before him. "I'm going to banish my Xiangke Magician from my hand to draw two more cards!"

"Draw as many as you like, they won't save you."

"Big talk for someone who only has a single face-down!"

"Hypocritical, from the person with no monsters."

Yuno pulled a card from his hand and shouted, "Then let me fix that! I activate Resonator Call! This card lets me add a Resonator to my hand and I choose

Red Resonator! Now I'll summon my little buddy out! {Level 2-**ATK:**600/DEF:200}" A little flaming fiend emerged from the ground, cackling. "His effect Special Summons a level 4 or below monster from my hand! I Special Summon Purple Poison Magician {Level 4-ATK:1400/**DEF:**2100} from my hand!" Yuno slapped the card onto the field, and a tall and thin man dressed in purple with a sharp chin and pale face emerged. He was dressed in purple and green and had a very pompous aura to him.

"FINALLY!" He screeched, slamming his whip on the ground. The whip didn't crack and instead just fell flat. "Do you know how long I've been waiting?! It's finally my time to show my powers!" Yuno cringed. Purple Poison was worse than Xiangke would ever be. At least Xiangke was a little fun.

Vice held out his hand and declared, "I activate Gozen Match!" Vice's first face down flipped face-up, glowing brightly.

"What?"

"'Gozen Match' makes it so we can only control one attribute of monster, all others go to the Graveyard. I choose EARTH!"

Yuno grunted. "I choose...DARK."

"Then put that Resonator in the Graveyard!" Red Resonator let out a sigh as it vanished from the field.

Sliding two cards face-down Yuno declared, "I set two cards face-down end my turn, and that means Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon's effect activates!" Yuno threw his palm out, indicating Odd-Eyes.

"He gets destroyed and I add a Pendulum Monster to my hand. I add Harmonizing Magician to my hand!"

Turn 3:

|Vice: 4000|  
|Yuno: 4000|

"I draw!"

"I summon Frontline Observer, {Level 4-**ATK:**1000/DEF:1500} and when this card is Summoned I can add an EARTH Pendulum monster to my hand. I choose 'Amorphage Sloth' which I'll then set on the Pendulum Scale {Scale - 3}." From the earth erupted a large yellow dragon, but jutting out of its chest was a half-formed bear. The bear let out a desperate howl as the scales of the dragon crept up its furry hide.

"Now I activate 'Amorphage Infection' and end my turn."

Turn 4:

|Vice: 4000|  
|Yuno: 4000|

"My turn!" Yuno ripped his next card out of his deck and flipped it around, it was 'Synchro Call.' "I can't use this card yet... I Summon Harmonizing Magician {Level 4-**ATK:**0/DEF:0}!"

A pink haired girl dressed in light-blue appeared on the field, she smiled and posed with her tuning fork.

Purple poison smiled, nodding approvingly. "Pink hair, I see you are a man of culture as well."

"Shut up."

"Excuse you?!" Purple attempted to crack his whip again, failing once more. "Need I remind you why my kind is an oppressed minority?!"

"I tune Harmonizing Magician with Purple Poison Magician," Yuno said quickly, interrupting Purple Poison. The two monsters split into 4 green rings and orbs respectively, the orbs passed through the rings, erupting into a pillar of fire.

"The Earth shakes and mountains burn to ash! Creation itself trembles as this mighty beast roars! Behold, The very soul of the King: Red Dragon Archfiend!" {Level 8-**ATK:**3000/DEF:2500}

Yuno's hair shot up. Standing on end, it began to dance about like fire in a windstorm. The color slowly drained from it, leaving it pure white.

The pillar disappeared to reveal Red Dragon Archfiend, who roared loudly, directing his attention upon the monsters on Vice's field. "Red Dragon Archfiend! Destroy Vice's Frontline Observer with your Absolute Powerforce!" Red Dragon shot across the field, grabbing Frontliner Observer in its flaming hand and crushing it to pieces.

"I activate my Trap Card, Defense Draw." Vice revealed his face down and drew his next card. "I take no damage from the battle and I get to draw a card."

"Big deal! Red Dragon Archfiend destroys your Defense position monsters with his Fiend Meteor!" On cue, Red Dragon launched a hail of meteors upon his face down monster, blowing it away.

Vice smirked. "The face down monster you just destroyed was my Dragon Dowser. When Dragon Dowser is destroyed I can Special Summon 1 EARTH Pendulum Monster from my deck!" The ground rumbled, sending Yuno stumbling, and opened up. From the depths emerged a massive dragon, easily as big as Red Dragon Archfiend. Its purple and black scales glistened and its muscles rippled. It took a deep breath in and roared, a roar which Red Dragon Archfiend returned in earnest.

"Appear before me, my ultimate Dragon: Amorphage Goliath! {Level 8-**ATK:**2750/DEF:0}"

"WHOOOOAAAA! We've got a dragonic brawl on our hands! Two titanic titans enter the arena, but only one can leave!" MC Judge roared as the crowd screamed in delight.

"I'll also activate the effect of 'Amorphage Infection.' Since a monster was destroyed I get to add an 'Amorphage' card to my hand and I choose 'Amorphage Persona.'"

Yuno felt a bead of sweat race down his head. Things were starting to unfold at a frightening pace... 'I knew it...he was just bidding his time!'

"You forgot something! The monster summoned by Dragon Dowser is destroyed during the End Phase!"

With a manic laugh, Vice cocked his head and whispered, "Do you really think I forgot?"

"...I set two more cards face-down and end my turn." As Yuno said this, Amorphage Goliath disappeared.

"I activate my Trap: 'Amorphage Lysis'!"

Turn 5:

|Vice: 4000|  
|Yuno: 4000|

"Hahaha! I draw!" The calmness that Vice had shown all duel was starting to melt away, revealing the maniac underneath. "During my Standby Phase I must tribute a monster or my Amorphage Sloth is destroyed...But I have no monsters to tribute!" Sloth exploded on the spot and Vice pulled a card from his deck. "That activates 'Infections'' effect which lets me add an 'Amorphage' to my hand, I choose Amorphage Greed! {Scale - 3} Now I'll place it into my Pendulum Scale!" An orange dragon with quills like a hedgehog took the place of Sloth, its tongue lulled out of its mouth and its beady eyes stared into Yuno's. "Next~ I place Amorphage Gluttony on the scale! {Scale - 5} And now I activate 'Pendulum Shift!' This card lets me change one of my monsters' Pendulum Scale! I change Amorphage Gluttony's scale to 10! One~more~thing~ I activate 'Amorphage Persona', this field spell grants all Amorphage an extra 300 ATK!"

"Now it's time to get this show on the road! I Pendulum Summon Amorphage Goliath {Level 8-**ATK:**2750/DEF:0} and Amorphage Sloth! {Level 6-**ATK:**2250/DEF:0} Then they get their attack boosts! That's 300 from 'Persona' and 100 ATK AND DEF from 'Infection' for each 'Amorphage' card I control and your monster LOSES 100 ATK and DEF for every Amorphage I control because of 'Lysis'' effect!"

{Amorphage Goliath's ATK: 2750 » 3750 | Amorphage Goliath's DEF: 0 » 700}

{Amorphage Sloth's ATK: 2250 » 3250 | Amorphage Sloth's DEF: 0 » 700}

{Red Dragon Archfiend's ATK: 3000 » 2300 | Red Dragon Archfiend's DEF: 2000 » 1300}

Yuno took several steps back and Red Dragon growled, taking a defensive stance.

"HA HA HA HA! BATTLE!" Vice pointed at Red Dragon. "Destroy that thing Goliath!" Goliath roared and charged at Red Dragon. The two clashed in midair, Goliath's fangs snapping and crashing together as they tried to grab Red Dragon's neck.

"I activate my Trap, Synchro Call! This lets-"

"YOU CAN'T!"

"What?!"

"Amorphage Greed's effect prevents both players from activating any Trap Cards, except 'Amorphage' cards of course." Red Dragon crashed to the ground, Goliath on top of it. Red Dragon was just barely holding Goliath back, but its fangs were getting closer and closer to his muscular neck.

"Thanks for buying time Red! I activate my face-down, Wavering Eyes!" Amorphage Greed and Gluttony roared before disappearing, their images replaced with two red eyes with swirling pupils.

Vice looked between his cards in confusion. "Wavering Eyes destroys all cards in both players' Pendulum Zones! So your Amorphages are no more!"

{Amorphage Goliath's ATK: 3750 » 3550 | Amorphage Goliath's DEF: 700 » 500}

{Amorphage Sloth's ATK: 2950 » 2750 | Amorphage Sloth's DEF: 700 » 500}

{Red Dragon Archfiend's ATK: 2300 » 2500 | Red Dragon Archfiend's DEF: 1300 » 1500}

There was a loud **CRUNCH** and Red Dragon stopped struggling. He fell limply to the ground and disappeared, Goliath roaring in victory.

|Yuno:|  
|4000 » 3150|

"Sorry Red Dragon...I wasn't fast enough...but I'm not done yet! I activate Wavering Eyes second effect! I get to apply effects based on the amount of Pendulum Cards destroyed by its effect, and I destroyed 2!" The two red eyes swiveled about, one focusing on Yuno, the other on Vice.

"Do your worst!"

"First, you lose 500 life points."

The red eyes glaring and Vice glowed bright red and shot a bolt of red energy at Vice, hitting him square in the chest. "Ugghhr..."

|Vice:|  
|4000 » 3500|

"Next, I get to add a Pendulum Monster to my hand! I choose Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon!"

"I get to pull a Pendulum Monster from my deck as well because of Lysis' effect!"

Yuno threw out his arm and a face-down flipped open. "Not if I have anything to say about it, I activate Ultimate Providence! I'm ditching Echo Oscillation to negate 'Lysis'' activation!"

Static ran across Lysis surface before it exploded in Vice's face.

{Amorphage Goliath's ATK: 3550 » 3450 | Amorphage Goliath's DEF: 500 » 400}

{Amorphage Sloth's ATK: 2750 » 2650 | Amorphage Sloth's DEF: 500 » 400}

"I still have Sloth's attack! Go Sloth, destroy him!"

"I activate the Trap: Archfiend's Roar!" The ground shook and a massive black arm shot out of the earth. Another arm joined the first, and they pushed against the ground. Red Dragon Archfiend pulled itself from the earth and howled at Sloth. {Level 8-**ATK:**3000/DEF:2500} "By paying 500 Life Points, I get to Special Summon an 'Archfiend' from my Graveyard!"

|Yuno:|  
|3050 » 2550|

Red Dragon Archfiend pulled back its fist and slammed it against Sloth, sending the monster crashing into the duel field and sliding several meters before it finally disappeared.

|Vice:|  
|3500 » 3150|

{Amorphage Goliath's ATK: 3450 » 3350 | Amorphage Goliath's DEF: 400 » 300}

The two duelists were panting. The sound of the audience's screaming came to Yuno as drowned out ringing. His eyes were fixated on Vice, who was staring back at Yuno, eyes gleaming with glee. Vice straightened up and activated a spell card. "I play Pendulum Paradox. With this, I can return two Pendulum Monsters with different names but the same scale to my hand from my Extra Deck. I return Sloth and Greed to my hand, then I set Sloth {Scale - 3} and Armophage Wrath {Scale - 3} on the Pendulum Scale. I set a card and end my turn."

{Amorphage Goliath's ATK: 3350 » 3550 | Amorphage Goliath's DEF: 300 » 500}

"During the End Phase, I return the monster I summoned with Archfiend's Roar to the Graveyard." Yuno placed Red Dragon Archfiend back in the Graveyard and the dragon disappeared once more.

"You're up, Ryuno. Show me a good time!"

Turn 6:

|Vice: 3150|  
|Yuno: 2550|

"You want it? You got it!" Yuno drew his next card. He added it to his hand and pulled another one free. "I play Return of the Dragon Lords!" For the second time, the ground shook and Red Dragon Archfiend ripped itself from the ground, announcing its revival with an ear-splitting roar. {Level 8-**ATK:**3000/DEF:2500}

"I set Odd-Eyes Phantom Dragon in my Pendulum Scale {Scale - 4} and set a card face down. Now I activate Card Destruction! First: We both discard our entire hands." Yuno slid his last 2 cards into the Graveyard, Vice doing the same with his last 3. "Now we both draw equal to the number of cards discarded." Vice nodded in silent understanding and they both drew. "I set my second Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon on the Pendulum Scale! {Scale - 4}"

"Red Dragon Archfiend, wipe out Goliath!" Red Dragon Archfiend roared, his fist burning bright. He charged towards Goliath, who screeched and lunged at Red.

"I activate Phantom Dragon's effect! If I have an Odd-Eyes in my other Pendulum Zone, I can have one monster I control gain 1200 ATK!" Red Dragon's eyes flashed red and green and the flames on his fist exploded into a raging inferno.

{Red Dragon Archfiend's ATK: 3000 » 4200}

"I activate Impenetrable Attack! This turn Goliath can't be destroyed by battle!" A shock wave rocked through the stadium as Red Dragon slammed his fist into Goliath! Goliath slammed into the ground screeching and writhing about like a snake. The force of Red Dragon's blow nearly knocked Cassian off his feet.

"AAAAHH!"

|Vice:|  
|3150 » 2500|

"I play my trap, Pendulum Reborn! This lets me Special Summon a Pendulum Monster from my Extra Deck, so return to the field Amorphage Gluttony! {Level 2-ATK:0/**DEF:**1850}

{Amorphage Goliath's ATK: 3550 ATK » 3650 | Amorphage Goliath's DEF: 500 » 600}

{Amorphage Goliath's ATK: 0 » 900 | Amorphage Goliath's DEF: 1850 » 2450}

"With that...I end my turn."

{Red Dragon Archfiend's ATK: 4200 » 3000}

Turn 6:

|Vice: 2500|  
|Yuno: 2550|

"HYAHAHA!" Vice drew his next card and his eyes lit up. "I'll tribute my Amorphage Gluttony to keep my Amorphage Sloth in the Pendulum Zone! This means Wrath is destroyed of course. BUT that lets me activate my Amorphage Persona and Amorphage Infection! First, because I tributed an Amorphage, 'Persona' lets me draw a card! Then Infection adds an 'Amorphage' card to my hand!"

{Amorphage Goliath's ATK: 3650 » 3450 | Amorphage Goliath's DEF: 600 » 400}

"Next, I set Vector Pendulum, the Dracoverlord on the Pendulum Scale! {Scale - 3}" From out of the card came a sneering figure wrapped in a black wing. "Vector Pendulum negates the effects of all the cards in your Pendulum Zones!"

"Oh no!"

"Now I activate 'Mystical Space Typhoon' to destroy the Amorphage Sloth in my Pendulum Zone!" Vice slapped the card onto his duel disk and a hologram of the card appeared on the field. From the card's face, a massive tornado shot out, destroying Amorphage Sloth.

{Amorphage Goliath's ATK: 3450 » 3350 | Amorphage Goliath's DEF: 400 » 300}

"...and I'll replace my Sloth with my Greed {Scale - 5} to keep you from using that Trap Card of yours!"

{Amorphage Goliath's ATK: 3350 » 3450 | Amorphage Goliath's DEF: 300 » 400}

"Here's your chance Goliath! Attack Red Dragon Archfiend!" Goliath rammed into Red Dragon, sending the massive dragon reeling backwards and slamming into the ground, making the stands shake.

"Aaahh!" Yuno covered his face as the dust from Red Dragon's impact enevolped him.

|Yuno:|  
|2550 » 2200|

"I banish 'Return of the Dragon Lords' from the Graveyard to protect my Dragon from being destroyed!" A warm light enveloped Red Dragon. He growled and rose to his feet, cracking his neck threateningly as he did.

A mad glee flashed across Vice's face. "I end my turn! You're up!"

Turn 6:

|Vice: 2500|  
|Yuno: 2200|

"Draw! I activate Pendulum Halt. If I have 3 or more Pendulum Monsters with different names face-up in my Extra Deck I can draw 2 cards!"

"Draw as much as you want! With my line-up, you're finished! Goliath keeps you from using your Extra Deck, Vector weakens all of your Pendulums and Greed keeps You from using any Trap Cards. I'll just slowly whittle away your Life Points and then this duel is mine!"

Yuno brought his cards to his face and a grin spread across his lips. "I play Scarlet Security from my hand!" A wind picked up within the stadium, it swirled about the arena, sending hats and hairpieces flying. Red Dragon grabbed his wrist and lifted his claw up, which were trembling as it glowed white hot. He let loose a billowing growl.

"Scarlet Security?"

"This card lets Red Dragon Archfiend unleash his almighty power to destroy all of your spell and trap cards! Do it Red Dragon Archfiend!" Red howled and slammed his claw into the ground. Flames expolded forth, consuming the duel field. The decisive sound of all of Vice's Spells and Traps shattering like glass filled the arena.

{Amorphage Goliath's ATK: 3450 » 2750 | Amorphage Goliath's DEF: 400 » 0}

"No! My Goliath-"

"-Is toast! Red Dragon Archfiend, show Goliath the power of a REAL dragon!" With a deep rumbling growl like a jet engine starting up, Red Dragon pulled back its fist, which glowed with hellish flames. "Absolute Powerforce!" Goliath wrapped itself in its wings as Red Dragon approached but it did little.

Red Dragon's attack ripped through the stadium, sending a shock wave over the crowd and blowing a hole through Goliath. Goliath let out a pitiful whimper before falling to the ground and disappearing.

|Vice:|  
|2500 » 2350|

"Is that all you've got-" Vice's taunt died in his throat. Yuno was silently glaring, a Trap Card already face-up.

"Synchro Call. This card lets me Special Summon a monster from my Graveyard, but I must Synchro Summon the moment after I do so."

"That's a nice bluff. You shuffled the Tuner you used to summon Red Dragon Archfiend back into the deck, remember?"

"I had one more that I sent there at the very beginning of the duel."

"What?!"

"I Special Summon Red Resonator {Level 2-**ATK:**600/DEF:1200} and when he's Special Summoned I can regain Life Points equal to the ATK points of a monster I control. I choose Red Dragon Archfiend!"

|Yuno:|  
|2000 » 5000|

"Now, I tune my Red Resonator to my Red Dragon Archfiend!" Red Dragon let out an almighty roar and split into 8 glowing red orbs, Red Resonator following just behind him as two green rings. The orbs flew through the rings, exploding into a pillar of flame.

"Dragon of hellish bane, let your aura envelop the world and call forth your dragonic brethren!" From the flames came a dragon with blue skin and suited in imposing black armor with chinks that glowed like yellow eyes. Gauntlets with large axe-like blades decorated its wrists. It reared back and roared, shaking the window panels in the arena.

"Behold, the vassal of dragons: Hot Red Dragon Archfiend Bane!" {Level 10-**ATK:**3500/DEF:3000}

"No mercy! Go Hot Red Dragon Archfiend Bane! Absolute Breaker!" Bane's blades glowed red-hot. It swooped across the ground and swung its blades through Vice.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!

|Vice:|  
|2550 » 0|

The roaring of the crowd barely registered in his mind. His adrenaline was still demanding his full attention.

'Wait...d-did I...?'

"Ladies and gentlemen we have a winner!"

"...I won?"

"The winner of the Fortuna Cup is our underdog, Ryuno Fujiwara!"

"I did it? I DID IT! I DID IT!" Hot Red Dragon Archfiend Bane screeched, announcing their victory to the crowd before disappearing as Yuno's Duel Disk shut off. Yuno couldn't control himself any longer. Before he could even comprehend what he was doing he was jumping and screaming like a madman. His hair fell onto his face, the blonde slowly returning to it. He flailed his arms about and howled with joy! He won! He had WON the Fortuna Cup!

"You, Ryuno." Yuno froze place. Vice's voice caught him off-guard. He slowly turned to face him. "That...was one of the best duels I've ever had."

"W-wait for real?" Yuno relaxed. He thought Vice was going to hit him or something with how intense he looked.

"Of course I do. I doubt I've met as many duelists as stubborn as you."

"O-oh...thanks Mr. Vice-?"

Vice frowned. "Just call me Cassian. I have no clue how that stupid nickname caught on."

"Oh well, it's a pleasure to meet you Mr. Cassian." Cassian held out his hand, and Yuno shook it.

"Sorry for my laughter."

"Hm?

"I tend to laugh when I get excited. I've been told my laughter can be...off-putting to some. I was worked up, sorry." Yuno gaped at Cassian. So that freaky laughing and attitude wasn't intentional?! He was just having fun?

"Hell of a way to express having fun."

Cassian gave a good-natured laugh. "Congratulations on winning the Fortuna Cup."

"Thank yo-"

"Oy, oy! I hope I'm not too late."

The entire stadium fell silent as a new voice echoed through the live speakers. The only sound that could be heard was the rattling chains, approaching ever closer. From out of the tunnel on the opposite side of the duel arena came a man dressed in a long white coat. He rattled with every step he took, clinking and clanking along. As he ascended the steps to the field, Yuno finally realized: He wasn't wearing a white coat, he was wearing a black coat absolutely COVERED in metallic accessories. Belts, bracelets, necklaces, collars, cuffs, lip rings, earrings, nose rings, you name it, he had it on his body. He gleamed like the morning sun, his pale skin made to look even paler and his oily blonde Mohawk shone.

"Zylon Pierce." Cassian grumbled.

"You mean the Fortuna City Champion?!"

"Mr. Pierce sir!" MC Judge stuttered, clearly at a loss for words. "W-we thought you weren't coming today."

"Ehhhh!? 'ho said I wasn't comin'?! I just didn't want to do that annoyin' commentator crap. I'm a cha'pion duelist not a talk show h'st."

"O-o-oh...I see."

"I was watchin' the tourn'ment fro' home. I wannated to check out my commpetitishon," He slurred his s, giving 'competition' a 'shion' sound at the very end. He approached Yuno, looming over him as he did. "And I saws this little kid was the winner. Ya did good for a pipsqueak, but anyone can win with a Pendulum Deck."

Muffled gasps and mutters rippled through the crowd as tension began to fill the air.

Yuno growled. "What did you say?"

"I SAID Ya did good for a pipsqueak, but anyone can win with a Pendulum Deck!" He screeched in Yuno's ear, making him cower back, covering his ears.

Cassian stepped forward, pushing Yuno behind him. "Leave him be Pierce. He dueled with the skill deserving of his victory here." Yuno looked up at Cassian, respect swelling in his chest.

"AAAYYY! CASSY! How ya' been? Still sore over all 'hose times I beat yer ass?" The tension was getting ever thicker. Whispers of joy were echoing through the stadium. They were getting excited over Zylon's trash talking.

"M-mr. Pierce...w-we were about to give out the award to Young Ryuno here. Can your duel with him wait at least a little while longer?"

Zylon scoffed, digging ear wax out of his ear, which was also covered in piercings. "It's just a s'itty trophy and a small amount of money."

"AND the chance to make 5 of their very own cards to be printed and sold to people all around the world!"

"Pish! So? That's nothing compared to the sheer amount of joy and pride he should feel knowing he's about to lose against me!"

Yuno's teeth were grinding together. His nails were digging so deep into his palms he could feel blood running down his knuckles. "I just won a tournament...can't I just have some time to celebrate?"

"HA! You call this a tournament? Kid, you fought 4 people and OTK'd two of 'em. For a real duelist, that'd be considered nothing more than a warm up."

"Even so he still deserves a chance to celebrate!" Cassian roared. "Don't undermine his accomplishments!"

"Pendulum pansies gotta stick up for each other huh?"

"You-"

"Young Ryuno...it's ultimately your choice. What do you want to do?"

"I'm taking him down!" Yuno he roared without a moment of hesitation. He ignited his duel disk, glaring at Zylon.

Zylon sneered. He snapped his fingers and from out of the tunnel came a very busty maid in an extremely revealing costume that made the crowd, (or at least the men in it) go wild. She trotted up to Zylon and handed him some silvery metallic sphere. "Thanks babe. Go back to waiting for me." The maid bowed and ran off. Zylon took the sphere and began twisting and turning parts of it before pulling it apart and placing it on his arm. It wasn't a sphere, it was one of the most pretentious looking Duel Disks ever made. The blade slid out with obnoxious _clang_ and his deck popped out of the top.

"Ryuno, there's no reason to do this." Cassian knelt down level with Yuno, looking him in the eyes. "You already won, there's no need to fall for his provocations."

"He's pissing me off... Plus, I can't just sit back and let him talk shit about our Summoning mechanic." Yuno smirked confidently.

"La-ladies and gentlemen! It seems that the TRUE final duel of the day is about to begin! The reigning champion Zylon Pierce versus winner of the Fortuna Cup,

Ryuno Fujiwara!"

"Champ gets to go first~!"

Turn 1:

|Zylon: 4000|  
|Yuno: 4000|

"Draw! I'll set this card and... 'Kay, it's time to get this party started! I activate Future Fushion~!" He stopped and put a hand to his ear. The audience cheered and he got back to his turn.

"Wit dis, I'll send one Cyber Dragon, one Cyber Dragon Herz, one Cyber Dragon Core, and Cyber Ouroboros to the GY."

"Huh? Don't you have to reveal a card from your Extra Deck first?"

"Come on kid, you already know what it is. But if I HAFTA explain," Zylon pulled a card from he Extra Deck and showed it to Yuno. "Is my Chimeratech Over Dragon!

Also, since Cyber Dragon Herz was sent to the Graveyard, I get to add a Cyber Dragon to my add!" He did so, smirking all the while.

"Now I activate Cybernetic Fusion Support! By paying ha'f my LPs I can Fushion Summon usin' the GY this turn."

|Zylon:|  
|4000 » 2000|

"Come on down: Cyber Dragon Drei! {Level 4-**ATK:**1800/DEF:800}" Multi-segmented dragon-shaped machine appeared on the field. Yellow lights ran down its sides and glowed in its eyes. "When I summon a Cyber Dragon, I can Special Summon Cyber Dragon Vier! {Level 4-ATK:1100/**DEF:**1600}" Another machine dragon appeared on the field, this time with lights running down its sides. "Now Drei's effect activates and makes all my monsters level 5!"

"I overlay my two monsters to XYZ summon Cyber Dragon Nova! {Rank 5-**ATK:**2100/DEF:1600}" A new dragon appeared from Overlay Network. It had wings made of metal with an angelic design that creaked as they were stretched wide. Its chest glowed red and the monster reared back to roar. "First I use an Overlay Unit to Special Summon Cybe Dragon from my Graveyard. Now I overlay Cyber Dragon Nova with itself! Come on: Cyber Dragon Infinity! {Rank 6-**ATK:**2100/DEF:1600}" The monster that emerged was similar to the first, but it was bedecked black armor plating and it looked far more fierce. It glared at Yuno, the optics in its eyes focusing on him and zooming in.

"Time for some Fushion action! I use Polymerization to fuse two of my a Cyber Dragon in my GY with Cyber Ouroboros and Cyber Dragon Herz to Fushion Summon Cyber Eternity Dragon! {Level 10-ATK:2800/**DEF**:4000}" A massive dragon slid out of the blue and orange portal, its tail followed along its body, curling around and around its body like a snake as it reared up. "Since Cyber Ouroboros went 'bye-bye' I get to draw a card!"

"Finally I play Cyberload Fushion! I fuse the Cyber Dragon on the field and Cyber Dragon I banished to Fushion Summon Chimeratech Rampage Dragon! {Level 5-**ATK:**2100/DEF:1600}" For the second time, the fusion 'portal' swirled into life behind Zylon and a new machine dragon emerged, this one with a thick, blocky chest and a glowing red core. "When Rampage Dragon is summoned it can destroy Spells or Traps equal to the amount of monsters I used to summon it! So now I destroy my Set card and Future Fusion!" On cue, both cards exploded.

"W-wait but why-?" Yuno clutched his head. He was no slouch when it came to dueling, but this was incredibly hard to keep track of. It didn't help that he had eaten since this morning and his stomach was growling like mad.

"Because, you simple-minded moron, when the card I had Set (Cybernetic Overflow) is destroyed, I get to add a "Cyber" card to my hand." He pulled a card from his deck without even looking and flipped it around. "I choose Cyber Repair Plant!"

"Why Future Fusion though?"

Zylon laughed, shaking his head at Yuno. "How it must feel to be young and ignorant~! You see, when Chimeratech Over Dragon is summoned, I must send all the cards I control to the Graveyard, which is something I don't want to do. So I destroyed it before that could happen."

"You just wanted those cards in the Graveyard..."

"There you go~! Finally, I use my Cyber Dragon and Chimeratech Rampage Dragon to do a Link Summon!"

After all that, and he does a Link Summon!?

"The conditions for it are 2 Machine Monsters, including a Cyber Dragon!" The two monster were lifted into the air before they were slammed into the Extra Monster Zone. A square blue portal appeared with two red arrows, one pointing to the left and one pointing a dragon pulled itself from the Link Portal. It was another Machine Dragon that had a halo like ring in its mouth and blue lines of energy running down its body. "Link Summon! Come on: Cyber Dragon Sieger! {Link Rating 2-**ATK:**2100|[←][↓]} For my last card in this masterful combo, I play Cyber Repair Plant! If I have a Cyber Dragon in the GY I get to activate one of two effects, but since I have three I can activate both. First, I add one LIGHT Machine to my hand from my deck. I add Cyber Dragon Nachester. Next I return 1 LIGHT Machine from the GY to my deck, which will be Cyber Dragon!"

Yuno was speechless. He could barely understand what was going on through that entire turn. What happened? It was...that turn...was incredible.

Zylon laughed and laughed. "With that boy, I end my turn. Now..." his eyes glinted with malice, "...show me what you can do..."

* * *

Turn 16:

|Zylon: 1500|  
|Yuno: 500|

"Ha...ha...ha...ha...d-draw!"

His arms were weak and tired...  
His fingers were numb and he couldn't properly feel his cards between his fingers...  
His mind was overworked and starting to become sluggish...

...but his heart was still ablaze.

"I activate...Pot of Riches!" Yuno pulled Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon, Performapal Odd-Eyes Synchron, and Chronograph Sorcerer from his Graveyard and shuffled them back into his deck before drawing two more cards.

"Red Dragon...! Attack-!"

"Think again! I activate 'Waboku' so I don't take any damage this turn." Zylon thrust forward both his hands as a barrier formed around him. Red Dragon's fist slammed against the barrier and Zylon pantomimed struggling to keep the barrier up. Red Dragon retreated and Zylon gave an obnoxious fake sigh of relief.

Yuno grinned weakly. "About time...finally...your field is empty..."

Zylon growled. "I'm not about to lose to a child like you!"

"You say that...but you're all out of Dragons..." With a weak laugh, Yuno set two cards face down and ended his turn.

Turn 17:

|Zylon: 1500|  
|Yuno: 500|

The Fortuna Champ put his hand on the top card of his deck, but didn't draw it. He ran his fingers along the edge, eyes closed. Suddenly he whirled about to face the crowd.

"ARE YOU ALL READY!?"

The audience cheered in response, chanting something that Yuno didn't care enough to comprehend.

"HERE! WE! GO!" Zylon spun back around, flinging his head up and down like a rock star, or Yurren when listening to music (sometimes) as his fingers danced around his deck like he was playing guitar! "THIS IS IIIITTTTTTT!" With a screech he drew his card. He looked at it and placed it face-down. "I end my turn."

Turn 18:

|Zylon: 1500|  
|Yuno: 500|

"All that...for a single face-down? Ha!" Yuno drew, but didn't even bother looking at the card. This duel was finally...finally over. "Attack! No mercy!" He gasped, his voice hoarse and his throat sore. Red Dragon Archfiend flew at Zylon, fist raised...and swung.

_Fwoop!_

Yuno looked up just in time to see a beam of light hit him square in the chest, knocking him over.

|Yuno:|  
|500 » 0|

...what? What happened?

"The trap card, Magic Cynlinder. It negates your attack and deals damage to you equal to your monster's ATK. Felled by your own monster, how ironic."

I...lost...?

"Ryuno!" Cassian ran up to him, propping him up. "Are you alright?" Yuno shook his head. He put his hand over his face, trying to hide his tears.

It wasn't just the loss to this pretentious, obnoxious, fop, who was now hyping up the roaring crowd. It was the pain that ran through his body, his exhaustion, his sore limbs, and what he said just before the duel.

'I'm taking him down?'  
'He's pissing me off...'  
'I can't just sit back and let him talk shit about our Summoning mechanic.'

What a joke. All talk. Worthless. Pointless.

Useless.

"Awww! The loser is crying!" Zylon laughed, slapping his knee which jingled like a wind chime. "If you can't handle defeat, then stay in the little leagues!"

"You go too far Zylon!"

"Cry me a river Vice. I have no time to waste on lo- Who are you?!"

"S-s-sir this- Audience members can't come onto the duel fiel-! ...N-nevermind..."

Footsteps were approaching, they stopped just in front of him. Yuno blinked through blurry eyes at the person standing before him, facing Zylon.

It was Yurren.

Yurren unhooked the microphone from around Yuno's ear, attaching it to his own. He then pointed at Zylon and announced, "You cheated."


	8. The End of the Prelude

A dry wind blew through the arena, sending Yurren's over shirt fluttering. The crowd had once again fallen quiet.

Zylon's smirk melted off his face to be replaced with an utterly ugly grimace. "Whatja say to me?"

"You heard me. You cheated. You didn't draw the top card of the deck on your last turn."

"He...did what now?" Yuno's voice was weak. Yurren's words bounced off his skull, not really registering. As he watched Yurren he noticed something odd:

Elegy was not with him. Yuno sat up to ask him where she was, but stopped. Elegy was floating just in front of Zylon's face, her body translucent. She flew around him, looking at him from every side, but Zylon didn't notice. She knelt down beside him and began running her finger along his deck.

'Guess Zylon can't see Duel Spirits.'

With a dismissive shake of the head, Zylon shrugged and said, "What proof do you have? And even if I did, are you saying I somehow knew what my next card and the card after that would be?"

"I'm gathering the proof now and yes, that's exactly what I'm saying Timmy."

Zylon stiffened. A gurgling grunting groan escaped his throat as his face twisted into a look of absolute rage. "H-how d-do? W-wha-"

"This may go over your head, but I did an internet search and found your real name, Timothy Archibald." A snigger ran through the crowd. Elegy was still inspecting 'Timmy's' deck, so close now she was practically inside him.

"Where are the guards?! Why aren't they taking care of dis run-on!?"

Elegy looked back at Yurren and nodded. Yurren nodded back, smirking. Elegy turned away from 'Timmy' and materialized in front of him.

"Wha-?"

With a final run of the finger across the deck, Elegy retreated back to Yurren, landing beside him. Yurren pulled the receiver of the microphone away from his face and Elegy leaned in. "You were right Yurren. His deck's been cut and the edges of certain cards have been sanded."

The crowd began to mutter venomously. Zylon looked around, his aura of smug superiority long gone. MC Judge was leaning on his table, looking at Zylon with a mix of disbelief and rage. "W-what but-! I...I'm..."

"That's what that little 'are you all ready' thing was: he was making a big show to hide the fact he wasn't drawing the top card of the deck."

"Making a distraction to draw attention..." Elegy snapped her fingers beside Yurren's face. He turned expectantly, and she waved at him, smiling cutely, all while her other hand reached into his pocket. She spun around him, leaning on his other shoulder and holding up his wallet. "...is a classic sleight of hand technique."

"And your distraction played into your little 'rock star' persona," Yurren added, taking his wallet back from Elegy with a quick word of thanks. "so it didn't seem random or out of place."

Cassian stood up, approaching Yurren but glaring at Zylon. Yurren held out his mic and Cassian leaned in. "He's been doing that for as long as known him, back in the major leagues."

"So its become an established part of his character?"

"It's not unusual for him to do that throughout a match. I always thought it was just for show, I never would've guessed he was doing something as dishonorable as cheating."

"I-I-! Just who the fuck are you?! Why are you saying this shit?!"

"My name is Yurren Yuki. I am Yuno's uncle."

"Oh. Ooohhh!" Zylon laughed shakily, the laugh slowly turning more confident as he continued to chortle. "I see now! You're here because your nephew lost!" He looked to the crowd, appealing to them with his arms held out. "I get you're upset, but that's no reason to act like an entitled parent!"

"If he lost fair and square I wouldn't be here, but I know you cheated."

"Here's another question! What makes you think I cheated? Are you saying you saw me 'cheat' from the front row? All the way over there? That's quite alot to believe."

"I did see. I was watching your fingers carefully during your last turn to make sure you wouldn't try anything."

"That's ridiculous! Do you really expect me, or anyone here to believe that?!"

Yurren shook his head. "I doubt many people here believe me, but that's not important as long as they believe him." Yurren pointed at MC Judge, who took a step back and pointed at himself in confusion. "If that deck hasn't been sanded, then you wouldn't mind letting him check it and if he finds no problems with it, which he won't, then you're free to go."

Zylon took several steps back away from the MC. Judge, who'd remained silent the entire time finally lifted his microphone to his mouth. "Well Timothy? What will it be?

"I'm not letting him touch my deck! What if he steals my valuable cards?!"

"That's quite hypocritical of you, considering that's not your deck." The crowd rumbled loudly. Mutters and confusion filled the air.

"WHAT?!"

"Are you serious?"

"Yurren...how can you tell?"

"Because I can hear them." Yurren closed his eyes and reached his hand out to Zylon. A heavy...

Presence...?  
Feeling...?  
Something.

Something heavy settled upon the duel field.

"I can hear the deck's spirits screaming in agony. They despise you. You stole the Cyber Legacy from its rightful owner." When Yurren whispered this, a piercing screech sung by a mechanical choir impaled Yuno's ears. He covered his ears. The screaming spilled out of the arena. Members of the crowd began to scream in terror at the mechanical howling.

Cassian covered his ears as well and groaned. "What the hell is that sound?"

"It's the cries of the deck. They've been disrespected and dishonored by this man so many times. Their agony is soul crushing isn't it?" Yurren closed his hand, making the noises stop. His breathing was heavy and a bead of sweat rolled down his brow. He instantaneously regained his composure however.

"What...what are you? How- I-" Zylon's face was pale and covered in a fine layer of sweat. "You're full of shit! I'm not giving my deck to that wannabe over there! Get off my stage! You're just mad your cousin lost! Get off my stage!"

Yurren shook his head sadly. "This is the state the pro league has fallen too? Utterly shameful."

"SHUT UP! JUST SHUT U-"

Yurren's eyes snapped open and Zylon froze, his complaints catching in his throat. Yurren's eyes bore into Zylon's, an unmistakable look of barely restrained violence and anger in his eyes. "If you want to do this the hard way that's fine by me." Yurren held out his hand to Yuno, "Your duel disk."

"Ri-right!" Yuno pulled his Deck and Extra Deck from his Disk and threw it to Yurren.

Yurren pulled his own deck, which was lovingly wrapped in bright pink sleeves, out of his breast pocket and held it to the sky. Bright yellow lights soared from the stands where the Melodious had been sitting till now and flew into his deck, Elegy following suit and disappearing into the stack of cards. Yurren gently pushed his deck into the slot, which widened to accommodate his sleeves.

"Why should I accept your challenge?!"

"You will. It's clear you greatly value your image and reputation if you're going so far as to cheat against a teenager just because he might beat you. Refusing a challenge from someone who is accusing you of cheating would be quite the blow to your reputation, not that cheating isn't career ending, of course." Zylon growled like a cornered rat and Yurren plowed on, "When I win you must give Yuno the title you cheated him out of."

"A-and...if I win...Y-y-you admit you just made all that cheating shit up!"

"I can't admit to something that I didn't do, but alright."

"W-well...L-ladies and gentlemen it seems the true final duel of the Fortuna Cup is about to begin! A potential scandal as resulted in a duel that will decide the future of Timothy Archibald's dueling career! Excuse me sir, what's your name?"

"Yurren Yuki. No relation."

"It's Zylon Pierce versus Yurren Yuki! Who will win? Who will lose? What will be the outcome of this sudden scandal! This is the Fortuna Cup's explosive final duel! Zylon Pierce will be taking the first turn!"

"DUEL!" Zylon screamed in desperation, ripping the top five cards from the top of his deck. "We're going to do this duel proper! 8000 Life points!"

Yurren nodded silently. He gently pulled the top five cards from his deck without throwing his arm out like duelists usually did.

Turn 1:

|Zylon: 8000|  
|Yurren: 8000|

"DRAW!" Zylon pulled the next card out of his deck violently and grinned. "I'll teach you! I'll teach you for daring to doubt my skill!"

"I never doubted your skill because you hadn't any to begin with."

"SHUT UP! JUST SHUT UP! I activate Future Fusion and send 25 cards from my deck to the GY!" Zylon pulled 25 cards from his deck, slamming them into the graveyard and pulling out a monster to reveal to Yurren, it was 'Chimeratech Overdragon.'

"That's-!" Yuno leaned forward in disbelief.

Cassian rubbed his eyes, as if checking to make sure he saw that correctly. "25 cards? Your Uncle must have really gotten under his skin."

"Future Fusion has been re-released with a different effect. You're using older and outdated cards." Yurren intoned.

"SHUT UP! I play my spell card, Overload Fusion!"

"Wait that's-!"

"No way..."

Yurren didn't say anything, he just silently watched Zylon banish the 25 monsters in his graveyard. "This card lets me banish monsters from my GY to Fusion Summon a DARK Machine type monster!" He held up his hand the swirling blue and orange colors behind him slammed together, resulting in an immense explosion which blew dust across the entire arena, making everyone cover their eyes, save for Yrren.

"I Fusion Summon Chimeratech Overdragon! {Level 9-ATK:?/DEF:?}" From the dust emerged a long, snake like mechanical dragon. Heads emerged from holes in its body, more and more until 25 heads towered above Yurren, each hissing and growling as they focused their sights down on him. "The original ATK and DEF of this mechanical monstrosity is equal to the amount of monsters used for its Fusion Summon times 800!"

"But that's-!"

"That's-!"

"That's a massive 20000!"

{Chimeratech Overdragon: ? ATK/? DEF = 20000 ATK/DEF}

"..."

"Next I activate my spell card 'Hidden Armory'! By sending the top card of my deck to the GY, I get to add one Equip Spell to my hand. I'm adding 'Scroll of Bewitchment' to my hand!"

Yurren chuckled suddenly, making Zylon, Yuno, and Cassian all look at him in surprise. "My, that is an old card indeed," he muttered in an almost nostalgic way.

"I equip it to my Chimeratech Overdragon and make its Attribute LIGHT! {Chimeratech Overdragon's Attribute: DARK » Light} Finally, I activate Malefactor's Command! With this card, I can equip a Machine Monster I control with a Machine Union monster from my deck or hand! I equip my Chimeratech with A-Assault Core!" On cue, a block-y yellow mech that resembled a scorpion appeared on the field and attached itself to the main head of Overdragon. "Because of my A-Assault Core, my Overdragon is unaffected by your monster's effects!" After Zylon declared this, his rage and desperation seemed to die down. He began laughing suddenly, a mad cackle that echoed through the Arena. "It's over! This duel's over before you even had a chance to do anything! Ha-! Haha! Ha ha ha! I set one card face down and end my turn."

Turn 2:

|Zylon: 8000|  
|Yurren: 8000|

Yurren silently pulled his card free.

"I ACTIVATE MY FACE DOWN: SAFE ZONE! WITH THIS MY MONSTER CAN'T BE DESTROYED BY ANY CARD EFFECTS OR BY BATTLE!" Zylon howled with laughter, tears running down his face as he screeched with joy. "I'm so relieved! Haaaa~! I feel saved! Free from your empty threats! You-you! You'll never beat this! I-I'm..." Zylon pressed his hands to his chest and let out a deep sigh of relief.

Casting a glance over his hand once, Yurren looked up and said, in a clear, ringing voice, "The conditions for victory have been met."

"Excuse me?!"

Yurren didn't respond. He picked up a card from his hand and placed it on the Duel Disk. "I activate Polymerization." He took Elegy and Mozarta from his hand and slid them into the Graveyard. There was a _whooosh_ and Yurren's suit jacket began to billow out behind him, his hair fluttering up as if caught in a wind. His eyes flashed and dust swirled around his feet. His eyes glowed suddenly, their dark blue disappearing into a harsh violet;. He raised his hand above his head and a massive flower bud sprouted forth on his hand. This bud was nothing like the ones summoned by Sofia, which were extremely realistic, this bud was a pale, translucent pink that light shone off of like a mirror. It looked like it was made of some crystal long since lost to time and too precious and beautiful to be used by human kind.

The flower pealed back and more petals filled the air. Within the blooming bud sat a slumbering girl, who opened her pupil-less eyes as the flower unfolded. She stretched her arms above her head before thrusting out to her sides, blowing the glowing petals away, which only exploded into more, smaller ones that swarmed the air like a blizzard. The girl's feet were buried within a flower in a small pot, which floated to the ground. She lifted her feet free from the pot and stepped onto the battlefield and swung out her hand, the flower in the part flew apart, its petals flying off positioning themselves behind the girl's back, making it look like she had floral wings. The petals swam through the surrounding air, giving her an aura of fronds.

"Descend on floral wings, symphonic angel. May my soul be the baton that ushers in your blossoming seraphic voice. Sing the song of victory that resonates through all celestial creation. Take center stage: Bloom Diva the Melodious Choir! {Level 6-**ATK:**1000/DEF:2000}"

The stadium was silent, staring in wonder at the show put on before them. Kids giggled, trying to catch the petals that danced about the stands, delighted. Bloom floated off the ground ever so slightly, her eyes directed upon Overdragon and her face mirroring Yurren's.

"Ha...ha ha! Ha ha ha! That's it?! What was all that 'the conditions for victory' shit then?! Just big talk?!"

"Bloom Diva, attack Chimeratech Overdragon."

Bloom nodded to Yurren and glid across the ground towards Overdragon, whose 50 eyes glowed with energy as 25 mouths opened wide.

"YOU ARE STUPID! STUPID BEYOND COMPARE! CHIMERATECH OVERDRAGON! DESTROY HIM!" Ever single one of Overdragon's heads fired a beam of glowing beam energy which flew towards Bloom, the combined beam towering over her.

Bloom held out her hand.

"THIS DUEL IS OVE-"

The beam touched Bloom's hand and exploded into petals which harmlessly danced away on the wind.

"Wha-"

"How can-?"

"Bloom Diva the Melodious Choir can't be destroyed by battle or Card Effects." Yurren announced. "Also, I take no battle damage from battles involving her."

"So what?! You still can't do anything! Assault Core protects my monster!"

"I told you the conditions for victory have been met. When Bloom battles an opponent's special Summoned monster you take damage equal to the difference between their Original ATKs. That means you take 19000 damage. Even if your monster is unaffected, that doesn't mean you are!" Bloom soared off the ground and spun around before throwing her arms out, directing them down towards Zylon.

"Go, Blossom Dance!"

The blizzard of petals changed direction and flew down towards Zylon, engulfing him. Overdragon roared as its eyes went dark and it collapsed to the ground and Zylon was thrown off the Duel Field and into the wall just above one of the tunnels.

Zylon:

|8000 » 0|

Zylon fell from the crater made by the impact, slamming into the ground with the jingling of all the silver shit he wore.

Bloom set down just in front of Yurren as he glared down at his defeated foe.

Finally, Yuno broke the silence of the stadium with a soft chuckle. "H-ha ha...haha! Ha..."

"What's the matter?" Cassian asked.

"It's been nearly four years since he retired...but he's still as perfect as ever... He and Bloom...his ultimate monster...they are an unbeatable duo."

Yurren turned on his heel, Bloom close behind him, and together, they stepped off the Duel Field, heading towards the tunnel. "You." He addressed MC Judge, who jumped. "Announce that Yuno is the winner." He took his Deck out of Yuno's Duel Disk, tossing it, and the cards he took, to him before he and Bloom left the field all together. 

* * *

The news was blaring nonstop about what happened over the weekend. Yuno's victory in the cup was overshadowed by Zylon's cheating ways and his humilating defeat

at Yurren's hands. The most of the choir, Yuno and Yuji were gathered around the TV, watching the coverage with rapt attention. Yurren was pulling on his suit, getting ready for work.

Elegy handed him his breifcase. "Thank you, Elegy."

"Be careful out there. Reporters are going to be swarming all over you," she muttered while chewing her lip.

"I'll be fine." Yurren said with a wry smile.

"Alright, if you say so." Elegy reached up, straightening the purple pin shaped like a Treble Clef on his collar. "Just be careful out there."

Yurren rubbed her head, that wry smile still on his pale face. "I'll be fine Elegy, I promise. I've dealt with it in the past. Make sure Yuno gets to school safe."

Elegy nodded briefly. "I should be home in time to make dinner, if I'm not you can just order something cheap for everyone."

"I will. B-be careful Yurren!"

"Elegy..."

"Right! I'm sorry...j-just go on now. Good-bye. Be carefu-"

"Haha, good-bye everyone." Accompanied by the various farewells he got from everyone, Yurren left the appartment and headed off towards the elevator. Once inside, and sure that the doors had closed, his shoulders slumped down and he let out a long sigh. Now that he was no longer with the choir, the weight of his saddness hit him with full force. Even with his concealer, his bangs cast shadows on his face that made him look miserable. He rode the elevator in silence. Just waiting for it to hit the bottom floor.

Just as Elegy predicted, the paparazzi were waiting to ambush Yurren as he left the elevator. The swarmed aroud him, lights flashing in his face and meaningless

questions hounding his every step. He remained silent however, acting as if nothing was wrong or that no one was there. They continued to hound him as he walked down the

city sidewalks, passersby watched the sight of Yurren guiding this massive crowd with bemusement.

They flocked around Yurren as he sat at the bus stop.

They trailed his bus in their cars.

They stalked him at the coffee shop.

They gathered around Yurren at the train station, which was where he finally lost them. Yurren stood up, holding onto one of the handles that hung from the ceiling and stared out the window.

Fortuna City really was quite the sight to behold. The various bulidings that decorated the skyline made the city feel like a bustling metropolitian, something that the people

of 25 years ago probably thought they'd never see again. The train passed through a tunnel, and when the outside was revealed to Yurren once again, the true face of Fortuna was shown.

The ruined streets were filled to the brim with constructions equipment. Trucks and cranes working ceaselessly to rebuild and dispose of the ruins left behind from the incident.

Buildings were lodged within one another with no signs of having collapsed into each other, rather it was more like they just spawned within each other.

Skyscrapers stuck out of the ground, spires buried in the earth and left to precariously jab at the sky. The destruction seemed so unatrural and bizarre, like a poorly made video game world where the buildings

and objects just clipped into each other with no way of fixing it. Construction crews worked days and nights just to attempt to dismantle some of these unfortunate buildings.

The 'pride' of Fortuna sat in the middle of the city, which Yurren now had a good view of. It was Fortuna Tower, a large skyscraper that while massive, would've been uninteresting if it weren't

for the fact that six other skyscrapers and buried themselves within it. They all leaned inwards, each and everyone of them stabbing their spires into Fortuna Tower. Their bases and supports

were twisted and curved inwards, clawing into the ground like savange animals. It was a miracle that Fortuna Tower managed to stay up right, let alone not collapse from the sheer

weight of everything that was intruding upon it, but it had stood tall and proud for 25 years and according to the city's architects, it was actually stable.

It was a 'shining monument to our will and determination.'

[Bullshit. Stop pretending like its anything more like dumb luck.]

The train ground to a halt and Yurren quickly exited, heading straight to the office. He worked as a computer programmer at 'Fi Life Insurance,' it used to be an independent office, but it was bought by 'Fi Life' and their offices and work were incoporated into the company. Though they still made their own programs and and accepted contracts, most of the money was siphoned into 'Fi Life,' meaning that the workers were being paid much less. Also, since he had an IT position, he had to dress up formally everyday at work, despite his, what would've been, a normally lax job.

Yurren stopped in front of the office building and sighed. "Once more, unto the breach."

"Hey there Mr. Yuki!"

"Morning Takeda." Yurren grunted and sat at his workspace across from Takeda, a young intern who was hoping to get a job in the programing branch of 'Fi Life.'

"I saw what you did the other day on TV!" Takeda said excitedly.

"Did you now?"

"Yep! You should've seen me! I was telling everyone 'That's my Senior at work!' and nobody believed me!"

"That's a shame."

Takeda leaned back in his office chair, groaning. "I know right? Can I get a picture of us together?! To prove I kno-"

"No."

"Too late!" Takeda whipped out his phone and aimed it at himself and Yurren, snapping a picture. "Sorry senior, I just gotta prove that I know you!"

"Alright."

"Are you ready to get to work?"

Yurren rolled his eyes, he was already deep into his work as Takeda wasted time talking about nonsense.

The end of the Fortuna Cup rushed past Yuji. After the brief closing ceremonies, Yurren whisked him away right away. Overwhelmed by Yurren's...what it is that Yurren does to have that effect on people, the MC simply promised to have the trophy and winnings mailed to him, along with the instructions to make his new cards. The rest of the weekend passed by in a blur as well, before he knew it he was walking into school. Yuno entered his classroom and was greeted by sudden applause, which made him jump. "Congratulations!"

"Huh? What?!"

"Congratulations on winning the Fortuna Cup Yuno!" Ange cheered, clapping as hard as she could. Ronin sat in the back, looking out the window and not bothering to clap along with the rest of the class.

"Oh! Oh, I did do that huh?"

Ronin scoffed.

"Sorry! It just feels so crazy..." Yuno took his seat, blushing with joy.

"That was very impressive Ryuno! Truly, an inspiration to us all."

"T-thanks teach." All this praise was a bit overwhelming for him. Ange was beaming at him, and that was making him blush even harder.

"He beat four pros! I thought he'd fail in the first round!"

"I didn't think he'd even show up!"

"That's enough of that you two." Teach (Yuno forgot her name) snapped at the two in the front of the class. "It took a lot of courage to do that. I don't think I could ever duel for such a big crowd."

"Did you have stage fright?"

"Not really. I was too concerned about the duels."

"What was it like?!"

"Super fun actually! I loved seeing all those new cards and strategies."

"Like having your opponent ram their monsters into yours over and over again?"

A chuckle ran through the class and Yuno blushed. "K-kinda...I mostly only duel against my uncle or brother."

"Your uncle was the guy that kicked Zylon's butt, right?"

"No no his name was 'Timothy' get it right." Another laugh rippled through the class.

His classmate's words about Yurren sent a jolt through Yuno's heart. He wasn't even here and people were talking about how great he was... "Yeah, yeah, that was Uncle Yurren."

Teach clapped her hands together. "I haven't seen Melodious Monsters in years. That was such a pleasent surprise, they're so pretty~"

Ange looked up at Teach. "Melodious?"

"Those are the archtype of cards my Uncle uses."

A weedy looking boy in the front of the class pushed up his glasses and intoned, "Melodious are generally considered a low-teir deck, or they were before the Masked Maestro showed up and dominated the entire professional scene. His technique was impecable."

Teach let out a sigh, leaning back in her chair. "The Masked Maestro... I wish he hadn't retired."

Yuno's heart sank even further, but a spark of interest jolted his brain. The Masked Maestro was Yurren's stage name when he was still a professional duelist. Yurren played the character of an enigmatic and stylish conductor who hid his true identity behind a mask. Not even his sponsers or producers knew his real identity, which only added to the hype and mystery aroudn him. He always played up his hidden identity as a selling point for every duel he took part in, since bigger crowds meant more sponsers, and more sponsers meant more money and a better life for him and his choir.

Steven rubbed his bald head, looking confused. "Who's the Masked Maestro?"

"What?! How could you not know?"

"He just moved here man!"

"The Masked Maestro was a pro duelist that got his start in Fortuna City," Teach said, leaning forward on her desk. "He was a stylish duelist with a charming flair of showmenship.

He made every duel he was in a joy to watch through his energy, wit, and stylish combos! He'd be in a pinch and BAM pull out some awesome tactic! He always sold out arenas and made every duel a dramatic fight to the finish! A-and if he ever lost, he'd take off

his mask and let the world see who he really was!" Teach sighed, staring off into space. "The Maestro used a powerful Melodious deck and was undefeated throughout his entire career!

His colorful monsters and their wonderful songs matched with his charm and made everything just...amazing..."

Yuno stared at Teach in disblief. 'I think I've found Yurren's biggest fan... I doubt anyone could tell he's the Maestro nowadays though...'

"How long was he a pro duelist?"

"He started dueling professionally about...wow, nearly ten years ago. He retired only three years ago."

"He was undefeated for SEVEN YEARS?"

"Yep. He entered the World League about four years after his debut and won the World Championship everytime for the last three years of his career."

Yuno raised his hand. "Wasn't that back when they still held the World Championship every two months?"

"That's correct Ryuno, and do you know why the held it bimonthly?"

"Umm...wasn't it to raise money for the construction of new Beacon Cities?"

"Correct! What better way to raise money than to host tournaments for the most beloved sport of our time? And why not host the biggest tournament that brings in the most amount of money and people?"

"Why'd that Maestro guy retire?"

Teach's dreamy expression slid off her face, replaced with a pitiful little frown. "T-there was an accident about three years ago. He retired right after that."

"Oh no! Did he get hurt?"

"No its... I can't explain it well."

"Do you have a video we can watch?"

Yuno noticed the atmosphere of the room and his classmates and grinned. At this point they were just stalling for time so the lesson could be shorter. "Yeah Teach, let's watch a video of the old Champ so the New Champ can learn from the best.

"Ryuno, you're the champion of the city he was the champion of the entire WORLD." Ronin cackled loudly, "and I doubt he needed his uncle to save him."

"That's enough out of you Ronin! Keep that up and I'll have you in detention!" Teach barked and Ronin cringed, sulking in his chair. "I...I suppose I could show you a quick video." There was a general mummur of excitement echoed through the room as the teacher opened the browser on her laptop. She searched

'Masked Maestro' in the search bar and some of the results made Yuno shiver: 'real identity', 'ace monster', 'murderer', 'scandal', 'injuries', 'deathes'...

Teach selected 'Masked Maestro Final Duel' and opened a video link. The class let out a hushed cheer as they saw the length was about 20 minutes, all the less time for real classwork.

The video started up. Filmed by someone in the front row, it showed the center of the arena clearly. On the left stood a woman in a bright pink, frilly dress. Her hairstyle and dress were both eccentric and cute in equal measure.

Teach paused the video and pointed at the frilly woman. "That's Kyuuto Aoi-Angel. She was a rising star in the Dueling World. She was a peerless and adorable Dueling Pop-Star that was famous for the way she turned duels into live performances. The one across from her is the Masked Maestro himself." She fell silent and Aoi-Angel's pastel colors and cutesy, dance like movements were a stark contrast to the masked man standing across from her. His sharp black suit brought to mind the image of an orchestra conductor. He had a white mask across the upper part of his face, hiding his eyes. His movements were sharp and deliberate. Standing before the masked man was none other than Elegy. She turned to the Masked Maestro, and he said something in return, but neither could be heard over the roaring of the crowd.

The Masked Maestro drew his next card, and the duel devolved into chaos. Yuno had spent most of his life dueling, but even he couldn't make out what was happening.

Cards were flipping up and activating so fast that he couldn't follow. The arena screamed it's approval as a monster on Aoi's field exploded and howled when Elegy destroyed another. As the duel continued, one thing was made perfectly clear, the Masked Maestro was losing.

A blast sent him skiding backwards and the Life Point counter on the display screen dropped to 500. The Maestro brandishes his arm, a card flipping up and shooting a beam of energy into Aoi. Her Life points fell to 3400. The crowd's screams and turned into a chant: "A-Okay! A-Okay! A-Okay!"

Aoi raised her arm and began to chant along, smiling at the crowd as she did.

The Masked Maestro, Yurren, was hunched over. His fingers on his next card. The part of the crowd that wasn't chanting began to jeer at him:

["What are you DOING?!"]  
["GO ALREADY!"]  
["Is that the best you got?"]

His head snapped up. Yurren ripped his next card free. As he pulled it, the card erupted into dark flames. His mouth moved, wordlessly saying something that was drowned out by the crowd. Elegy spun around and lunged at Yurren, but he pushed her away. Just as people began to boo, he lifted the card above his head and a swirling mass of black smoke spewed forth from the card, spiraling towards the heavens above.

The moment Yuno's eyes fell upon that card, something overcame him. An unwavering unease claimed his heart and lingering fear began to gnaw at his heart. An existential, all consuming, dread started to consume him. Before he knew it he had his head in his hands, sweat running down his forehead. The unsettling truth that he was going to die one day, and that there was nothing he could do to stop it, ripped into his chest, announcing its presence with s screech that drowned out all rational thought. Panic. Panic. Panic.

['What will it be like to stop existing?']  
['I don't want to stop existing.']  
['Will it just be like... what's it like?!]  
['I'll just disappear, and never be thought of again.']  
['I'll fade away into the harsh inescapable reality of death.']

He was breathing heavily now, sweat pooling on top of his desk. People in the class were screaming. Some were begging for their mothers, others pleading with some unknown deity, whimpering that they didn't want to die.

The cards on Yurren's field, including Elegy and his other monsters turned ashen gray before dissolving away, gone like ash in the wind. The sky turned black as the smoke enveloped the sky, filling it with black clouds that crackled with lightning. Wind howled and the camera shook violently. Screams filled the air as lightning snapped across the sky, almost as if the Earth itself was trying to prevent whatever was about to happen.

Mechanical screeching drowned out the sounds of the arena. Loud, rhythmic thuds slammed into the earth, announcing the approach of something monstrous. Aoi's cards dissolved into ash like Yurren's did. The mild confusion and panic was replaced with utter terror as lightning flashed, revealing the silhouette of some 'thing' towering above the arena. It let out a mechanical, howling screech, shattering the display screens and causing static to flash across the video.

Yurren lowered his hand, pointing it at Aoi. His eyes glowed vermilion through his mask and his face was twisted into a revolting and violent scowl.

Even amid the chaos and noise, his hushed whisper came through perfectly:

["Die."]

A stream of fire shot out of the clouds and exploded upon contact with Aoi! An obelisk of flame burst forth, shooting through the clouds and engulfing the entire arena in its wrath. Aoi screamed as she was burned alive, her desperate pleas falling on deaf ears.

The camera tumbled over and the video ended.

The classroom was silent, save for the heavy gasps of the students as the existential fear slowly drained away.

No one dared to speak.

No one dared to breathe.

Teach wordlessly turned off the video and closed the browser.

Yuno had never seen that monster before. "W-what...what was that thing?" It terrified him. It terrified him to no end.

"To this day, no one knows."

"What happened to Aoi?" Ange spoke up, her voice shaky.

"She's been in a coma ever since that duel."

"What about that Maestro guy?!"

"He retired immediately following that duel. No one's heard from him since then."

"S-so that's why... That's why he retired... H-he never told me..." Yuno whispered this to himself and buried his head in his hands. What did Yurren just summon?! What even was that thing?!

["Die."]

It wasn't a threat. It wasn't some exaggerated claim for the sake of drama. It was uttered without a shred of remorse or restraint. Yuno had never heard his uncle's voice sound so callous before. He was cynical, no-nonsense, and quiet, but never callous. Never harsh or cruel like that. "What...what did you unleash upon this world...?"

* * *

Yuji soared through the sky, falling onto his knees and doing a super cool action roll. He stood up and brushed himself off, grinning at Lily. "Was that cool or what?"

"That was sooooo cool! I'm too scared to jump off the swing like that." Lily's eyes were as round as plates. "That's so cool..."

"Don't worry! If you practice doing little jumps, you can do big jumps one day!"

"Can you teach me how?!" Lily bounced up and down, excited.

It was recess time and the school yard was filled with excited kids. Most were clambering around the jungle gym and slide, so Yuji and Lily were playing at the swings instead.

"Your big brother was really cool Yuji."

Lily's words hit him in the chest like a hammer. His brother...

"I guess, but not as cool as me right? I won us a Pizza Party!" He stuttered desperately.

Lilly gave him a thumbs up. "You're the coolest ever!" Yuji felt relief fill his chest and he sighed.

A rattling from the fence drew his attention away from Lilly and to a hooded figure attempting to scale the metal fence around the playground. They got over the top and fell onto their head.

"OW!"

"Are you okay?" Yuji ran up to the figure and Lily followed, grabbing his arm. "What?"

"Don't talk to strangers Yuji!"

"But they might be hurt."

"Ow owowow oooow..." The figure stood, rubbing its head and groaning. "Hey, do you know a 'Kyujiro Fujiwara?'"

Yuji nodded and pointed at himself.

"You better not be saying he lives on in your heart or something."

"No I'm Yuji."

"Oh great! That's great to hear." The figure stretched, its back popping loudly, before pulling out a Second Generation Duel Disk (most commonly used at dueling institutions like Duel Academy) from beneath their cloak and strapping it to their wrist. "I came to challenge you to a duel."

"A duel? Sure!" Yuji pulled out his own Duel Disk from his baggy pocket and turned it on.

"Yuji! NO NO NO!" Lily screamed, stomping her feet. "Stranger danger! Stop it!"

"Stranger danger? Who me?" The figure pointed at itself. "Well I mean, technically yeah I am a stranger, but I'm not into kids so its all good."

"Into kids?"

"Ya know what? D-don't- forget that part. Let's just duel. I'll go first."

"Okay!"

Turn 1:

|?: 4000|  
|Yuji: 4000|

"I draw...and end my turn."

"Huh? Really?"

"Yep. I can't do anything." The figure held its arms out. "Attack me."

"If you insist!"

Turn 2:

|?: 4000|  
|Yuji: 4000|

"Draw!"

"I summon Star Drawing {Level 4-**ATK:**1600/DEF:1000}!" A small, fairy-like creature appeared on the field. It twirled its small wand about and smiled. "Now, because I Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon Kagetokage {Level 4-**ATK:**1100/DEF:1500} from my hand." Star Drawing's shadow wiggled about, and from if it emerged a small lizard shaped shadow with red eyes. "Now I overlay my two Level 4 monsters to XYZ summon!"

The two monsters turned into orbs of light and flew upwards before diving back down into the Overlay Network.

"Unfurl your wings of ivory, warrior of hope! Wield your sword and illuminate the path towards victory! Appear, Number 39: Utopia {Rank 4-**ATK:**2500/DEF:2000|Overlay Units: 2}!" Utopia burst out of the Overlay Network, flexing his arms and spreading his white wings wide.

"So it's true, you really do posses the legendary Utopia. Well, what are you waiting for? Attack me!" The figure spread its arms wide.

"If you say so!" Yuji looked down at his cards, eyebrow furrowing.

'I can summon Utopia the Lightning and use his effect to attack with 5000 ATK. I'd win instantly...but then he wouldn't get a chance to actually duel.' Yuji looked back up at the figure who had their arms spread. 'That wouldn't be nice...I mean, he challenged me! He's the one that wanted to duel, I shouldn't do that to him. He hasn't had a chance to play yet...'

"Utopia, attack them directly with Rising Sun Slash!" Utopia threw one of his blades high into the shot up catching it before descending back down at delivering a powerful slash to the figure. The figure was blown back, slamming into the fence, their coat receiving a massive gash across the chest.

|?:|  
|4000 » 1500|

The figure grabbed the fence and pulled itself back up. "Yes! Yes! You have the same power as the other two." The hooded figure laughed in joy. "This is excellent! I can finally-"

"YOU! What are you doing here?!" Yuji spun around to see a teacher sprinting towards them, his eyes glaring at the hooded figure.

"Oh shit. Time to leave." The figure jumped on the fence.

The teacher grabbed the cloak and pulled on it, trying to pull the figure from the fence.

"AAAH! NO! NO! HELP!"

"Mr. Tora, give me a hand with this!" Another teacher ran up and grabbed the figure, followed by a third, all of whom were tugging at the cloak's fringes.

The cloaked figure screamed as they nearly lost their grip on the fence. He, after a massive grunt, flung himself over the fence and sprinted off. Yuji saw a flash of bright blue hair as the no longer-cloaked figure ran away. "Dammit!"

A hand grabbed Yuji's and Lily's shoulders and pulled them back, spinning them around to see Ms. Tsukumo. "Are you two okay?" She asked, in a hurried whisper.

Yuji nodded and Lily shuffled her feet, looking at Yuji with guilt. "Yuji didn't do the stranger danger things..."

Ms. Tsukumo's brow furrowed. "Yes dear, I saw. Kyujiro, you need to practice proper avoidance! You can't just approach people you don't know and start dueling them!"

"B-but she walked up to me a-an-and challenged me..."

"It doesn't matter who challenged who! You should've run to get a teacher!"

Yuji flinched and muttered "I'm sorry," under his breath.

"It's alright, I'm not mad." Ms. Tsukumo sighed, rubbing her temples. "Let's get back inside now."

Yuji nodded in agreement and went with Ms. Tsukumo. He looked back however, but the figure had long since disappeared into the trees on the other side of the fence.

* * *

When Yuji finally returned home, he found his brother sitting at the couch. Yuji dropped his bag in the spare bedroom and an up to Yuno. "Hey there! How was school?"

Yuno grunted in response. That was the usual reaction.

"The Choir isn't here, are they out?"

"Yep, they just left. Something about a sale at the market." His tone made it obvious he didn't want to talk right now. With a sigh, Yuji pulled out his D-Pad and opened his favorite streaming service, sitting on the other side of the long corner couch, a fair distance away from his brother. He was about to put in his earbuds when Yuno said suddenly, "What do you know about Yurren?"

"Uncle? Well...I'm not sure." Yuji turned off the D-Pad and sat up. "What should I know?"

Yuno's leg bounced violently, shaking the couch. He chewed his finger and muttered something Yuji couldn't hear before saying, "Have you ever seen him...do something dangerous?"

"N-no? Tamtam told me about a time he punched someone because they were trying to do something with Canon though."

"Something?"

"I don't know what she meant, but it was something like 'getting to know each other better' and that's bad I guess."

"Well...he's always had a bit of a short temper but..."

"What's the matter big brother?"

"Well...I-" Yuno took a deep breath and looked up, a solemn scowl on his face. He turned to Yuji. "You can't tell Yurren or any of the Melodious about this."

"Why not?"

"Just promise me you won't!"

"Alright! I won't tell!"

Yuno looked down at his feet and began to tell him, "We were in class today and the teacher showed us a video about Yurren's last professional duel."

"Why's that important? Didn't you go see it live?"

"No! I was in the hospital with mom and dad because she was about to give birth to you and Yurren forbid me watch it online afterwards."

"I'm surprised you actually listened to him."

"Shut up and listen to me!" Yuno snapped. "Yuji...I saw Yurren use some kind of horrible monster...it was terrifying and evil!"

"How was it evil?"

"It- well.." Yuno fell silent and shuddered. "H-he used that card to put someone in the hospital! She's been in a coma for five years."

Yuji tilted his head in confusion. "What's a coma?"

"It's...where you sleep for a very long time and can't wake up, no matter what."

Furrowing his eyebrows, Yuji opened his D-Pad and searched 'coma' on the internet. "...I-I don't really get it...but it sounds bad."

"Not only that but it was also so scary it made people in my class cry!"

"Oooh...that sounds really scary." Yuji shivered, thinking what kind of monster what do that. The scariest monster to him was 'Doomkaiser Dragon,' was it scarier than that? 'What could be that spooky?'

After thinking that, a thought hit Yuji. "Wait, that doesn't sound like Yurren at all. All of his monsters are cute little fairies." Yuji typed 'Scary Fairy Monsters' into the browser and checked the images. He squealed in disgust and scrolled on, only the first two rows actually had scary images, the rest were cute fairies, and the first two rows had no images that looked remotely liked 'fairies'. "Bloom's effect is scary but-"

"It wasn't a Fairy idiot! It was a machine thing!"

Yuji's confusion mounted even higher. "Yurren doesn't have any machine types. He only has Fairy types and a few Dragons in his extra deck."

"It couldn't have been anything else Yuji! I saw Yurren summon it! It was a horrible monster! It-" Yuno fell silent and shivered violently. "It was the scariest thing I've ever seen Yuji. It was a monster and I don't mean like a 'Monster Card' it was a...a...a REAL monster."

Yuno's words echoed in Yuji's ears, but he couldn't understand why it was such a big deal. It did sound scary and all but, "Yurren probably just lost control of his powers. That card hurting her isn't that big of a deal."

"What?! She's been asleep for five years you asshole!"

"I-I me-meant that the CARD hurting her wasn't- I mean-"

"You're saying that what card it was wasn't important, is that right?"

"Ye-yes yes!" Yuji said quickly, nodding fervently. "I-I didn't mean to- I-!"

Yuno groaned and rubbed his temples. "I know, I just...I'm really agitated right now."

"Why don't you talk to Yurren about this?"

"No! I can't bring this up to him!" Yuno stood up and threw his arm out, glaring down at Yuji.

"Why not?"

"Be-because...I-I-!" Yuno shook his head violently. "It's just impossible! I can't bring this up with him! Uggh-!" Yuno stormed away, pulling the door to the spare bedroom open.

"I have homework to do!" The door slammed behind him, leaving Yuji alone with his D-Pad.

Yuji looked back down at his D-Pad. What was the big deal? Why couldn't he talk to Yurren about it? Was he just scared?

* * *

Yurren got home late that night. When he entered, he was promptly hugged by Score and Tamtam. "Hey there you two."

"Welcome home Yurren!" Elegy trotted up to greet him as well, smiling brightly.

"Glad to be back. Did I miss dinner?" Yurren patted Tamtam and Score on the heads before picking them both up in his arms.

"I just ordered it a minute ago. It'll be here in about fifteen minutes."

"Sorry I couldn't make it home in time to cook for you all."

"I'm just happy you made it home." Elegy looked back at the spare bedroom, then back to Yurren, her expression serious. "Can I talk with you for a moment?"

Yurren put Score and Tamtam back down with a groan. "Aaaalright you two, go wash your hands for supper."

"Okay!"

"My hands will be super clean!"

With a chuckle, he ruffled Tamtam's head. "I'm glad to hear it, now go on." The two ran off and Yurren stood upright, his rare joyous expression sinking back into its normal stoic solemness. He started undoing his tie as he made his way to his room, speaking to Elegy on the way. "What's the problem?"

Elegy opened the door for Yurren and he entered with an uttered word of thanks. "It's about Yuno. He's been acting strange."

Depositing his briefcase near his nightstand, Yurren threw off his suit jacket and began unbuttoning his shirt. "Strange how?"

"He's been quiet and withdrawn."

"Was he like that yesterday while I was at work?" Yurren threw his shirt into the hamper, revealing his sallow and lean body.

Elegy bit her lip as her eyes looked over Yurren's malnourished body. "N-no...h-he was just fine yesterday," she whispered, looking away from Yurren. "Yurren have you been eating right?"

"That's not important right now." He whipped off his belt and slid his pants off, dropping them both in the hamper before pulling out a pair of silken pajamas. They, too, looked very formal, with the top being a button up shirt and the pants being tight, but not form fitting. "Did something happen at school?"

"I-I-I wouldn't know... I didn't talk to him about it. Yurren you-"

"If it makes you happy, I'll eat a lot of supper." Yurren said with a wry smile. "Who picked Yuno up from school today?"

"Canon, Soprano, and Moza again."

"Alright. I'll talk to them after my shower."

"Yurren, have you been eating at work?!" Elegy's question went unanswered as Yurren entered the private bathroom attached to the master bedroom.

Elegy groaned, clutching her hands to the chest and biting her lip more fervently.

After his shower, Yurren went up to Canon and Mozarta, who were currently talking (or arguing) about something that happened at the market. "It's okay as long as you don't get caught."

"That's no reason to beat someone over the head with a loaf of bread!"

"He was asking for it."

Yurren cleared his throat loudly, making Moza and Canon jump. "I agree with Moza, you shouldn't hit someone with bread."

"But he was makin' moves on Aria."

"Oh. In that case it's alright."

"Wha-"

"Thank you for protecting Aria, Canon." Yurren smiled.

"Assault with bread isn't a good thing, no matter what!"

"I disagree. I think violence is a perfectly fine way to protect my family." Mozarta groaned, burying her head in her hands as Canon cackled.

"Regardless, can I ask you two about Yuno?"

Canon nodded.

"Of course dear."

"Did you notice anything off about him today?"

"Yeah, he was being a real downer: super quiet and cold."

"He seemed really scared of something."

"Really? You think so?" Canon asked Mozarta, her head cocked to one side.

"Mm-hmm. Oh my, do you perhaps think it was that portly child?"

"Portly child?"

"Some fatass named Ronin. They dueled last week or so."

"Ronin? I've never heard about this boy." Yurren scratched his chin, thinking. "Is this Ronin a bully?"

Mozarta nodded. "From what Yuno told me, I'd assume so."

A growl rumbled out from his throat. "He never told me..." The thought of Yuno hiding something like this from him bothered him immensely.

"He won the duel, if you were wondering. He asked that we didn't talk to you about this."

"So, he's hiding it from adults..." Yurren looked back at the spare room's door. "I...I think I need to talk to him about this."

He turned and set off for the door, Canon calling out "good luck," as he left.

Yurren pushed the door open. Yuno sat at the edge of his bed, staring into the mess of the closet, his eyebrows furrowed and his breath shallow.

"Hey bud." Yuno jumped at Yurren's voice. His face was pale as he scooted to the side, giving Yurren room to sit beside him. "How was school today?"

"It was fine. Nothing important happened." He muttered quickly, not looking at Yurren.

Yurren leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. "You're not having any problems with your classes are you?"

He shook his head.

"You're getting along with people right? I'm sure you're super popular now after the tournament!"

"I guess."

Rubbing his head, Yurren looked at the opposite wall, staring at a poster of Jack Atlas. This was harder than he thought it would be, and he didn't exactly expect this to be easy to begin with. It was time to just be blunt about it. "Yuno, is something bothering you?"

"Don't worry about it."

Yurren groaned quietly, placing his hand on his forehead. He looked around the room again, trying to distract himself from this harsh silence. He shook his head and looked back to Yuno, "You know, I'm here to talk to you about these kinds of things. You can trust me with stuff like this. There's nothing to be ashamed about."

"... Yurren...?"

"Yeah?"

"In class...our teacher showed us a video of the Masked Maestro."

"Is that so?"

"W-we," Yuno's voice broke into a shaky shout, "we saw your final duel!"

-!-

The words hit Yurren, piercing his mind like an arrow. He grabbed his face with his hand and growled, glaring into the open closet.

"What was that monster Yurren? I-it...what was-?" Yuno looked to Yurren, but his voice caught in his throat. Yurren slowly turned back to glare down at Yuno, his face a mask of such intensity it had gone beyond normal rage. His eyes seemed to glow with anger, it almost looked like a red tint was leaking into the white's of his eyes.

When he finally spoke, his voice had an all-consuming pressure to it. A silent, controlled wrath pulsated throughout each of his words, which laid heavy upon the entire room. "I told you not to look into that."

"I-it...it-it was our teacher! S-s-she...I-!"

Yurren stood up suddenly. His shadow danced across the walls, twisting and shifting about as if he was standing before a raging inferno, and not a messy closet. "I"m disappointed in you Yuno."

Yuno couldn't say anything, he was too transfixed by the look on Yurren's face. Yurren turned to leave.

"Wait! Y-you di-"

"Forget what you saw. It's nothing for you to worry about." Yurren pushed the door open and before Yuno could say anything else, slammed the door behind him, leaving Yuno in the darkness of his room, alone with his thoughts.


	9. The Encroaching Adumbration - Part 1

A sharp knock resounded through the door. Yurren stood from his desk with a groan and opened the door. Outside the door was a a person wearing a ragged cloak with a hood pulled over their eyes. Their chest protruded a great deal outwards, which Yurren acknowledged with a flick of his eyes. "How can I help you miss?"

The woman gasped. "How'd you know I was a girl? My disguise was perfect!"

Yurren's eyes flicked down once more. "Call it an educated guess."

The woman grumbled and pulled off her hood. She was much younger than Yurren thought, around 18 ~ 19 if he were to guess. She had a soft face with round cheeks and large green eyes that sparkled with a tomboyish energy. A bandage, or perhaps a breathing strip, was strapped to her nose. She had two-toned blue hair, that got lighter as it went from the top of her head down to her bangs,

that was tied into two short pigtails that pointed downwards. She was also at least a head shorter than Yurren. "It seems you are more perceptive than I gave you credit for."

"Uh, thank you..."

Yuno looked back at the door from his place in front of the TV, Yuji sitting to his left with his D-Pad out watching something else. "Who's at the door Yurren?"

"I am none other than Hiro Hero-Hyro!" The girl screamed, throwing her arms out and bringing her hand in front of her face as she bent her hip and leaned in the other direction,

posing dramatically. "I'm the hero wh-"

Yurren closed the door.

"NO wait wait WAAAIIT!" The girl fell against the door, slamming on it. "Open up! I'm sorry!" The door creaked open and Yurren peered out, glaring down at the girl.

"M-my real name is Hiro Miyabi. I need to talk to you about something important Mr. Yuki," she muttered under her breath, head bent over. "May I come in?"

With a sigh, Yurren stepped back to allow Hiro inside. She crept inside, still looking bashful. "Can I take off my coat?"

"Coat is a strong word for that thing, but if you insist."

Hiro whipped off her rags, revealing a sharp blue sleeveless jacket with a form fitting white sleeveless top, and very short jean shorts held up by no less than three belts. Yurren grimaced at the bizarre outfit. He himself only ever wore dress pants, dress shirts, ties, and suit jackets, so this outlandish getup stirred something within his soul.

That something was 'irritation.'

Yuji looked up from his D-Pad, gaping at the new arrival. He pulled out his headphones and pointed at Hiro. "I know you! You were at my school!"

"Ha ha ha!" Hiro placed her hands on her hips, apparently getting back some of that energy from before. "That's right, I was the one who challenged you!"

"Care to elaborate Yuji?"

"We were at recess and this girl in her coat climbed over the fence and challenged me to a duel." Yurren's eyebrows arched high, approaching his hairline, and

Yuno turned to gape at Yuji. Hiro chuckled awkwardly and looked away. "She took one attack from Utopia and was chased off by the teachers."

"I understand," Yurren lied. "So what do you want Hiro?"

"Not even a miss on that...?"

"What do you want Hiro?"

"W-well...I want to talk to you about something very important. You, and your nephews."

"Very well." Yurren walked around to the front of the couch, sitting between Yuji and Yuno. He gestured at the spot in front of him, silently telling her to stand before them.

She moved about restlessly, coming to a stop before Yurren's harsh gaze and the curious looks of the other two. Before she could say anything however, Yurren asked, "How did you find us and why did you come here?"

"I'll tell you in a bit. I have a-a lot to explain first." Her bravado gone, she wilted under Yurren's intense stare. She put her hands over her chest and took several deep breaths before finally saying, "Fortuna City is in grave danger. There's a mysterious cult attacking people and stealing their 'duel energy.'"

"'Duel Energy?'" Yuno cocked his head in confusion. "That doesn't sound real."

"It doesn't have a proper name, so I just call it that. It's pretty much the adrenaline of the soul. It gets released by a person when they are faced with adversity and revel in the challenge."

"Sounds like the right attitude to have for a duelist."

Hiro nodded. "That's why they can harvest it through duels. Other methods don't produce the same reaction from people."

Yurren leaned back, folding his arms and crossing his legs. "Why are they 'harvesting' this energy?"

Hiro took another deep breath and uttered, "because they wish to revive their God: the King of Shadows."

Yuji raised his hand. "Ganohurgh?"

"Oh you watch that show too?" Hiro clapped her hands together, looking excited. "I love it!"

Yuno leaned forward, looking excited as well. "It's super cool! Ganohurgh is so evil its like-"

"SO!" Yurren barked, making all three of them jump. "There's an evil cult going around trying to revive a fictional bad guy from a children's TV Show. Is that what you're telling me?"

"No. No-no! Of course not!" Hiro shook her head, waving her hands out in front of her. "I just called the guy that! I don't know what his real name is, if he even has one! I just thought the name 'King of Shadows' was cool."

"So you named it after a children's TV show."

"Look if you've got a better name I'm all for it!"

Yurren put a finger on his chin, thinking. "Why didn't you just call it the Unnamed Deity since you don't know its name?" Yuno, Yuji, and Hiro all gaped at him, a twinkle of excitement filling their eyes.

"That's soooo cool!" Hiro bounced up and down, sending her pigtails bobbing and her chest jiggling. "That's the coolest thing ever!"

"So evil and mysterious!"

Yurren rubbed his temples. "If there really is a cult trying to revive this guy-"

"Say his name!"

"I don't know His name."

"No no! The name you just made up."

With a sigh, Yurren began again, "if there really is a cult trying to revive the _Unnamed Deity,_" Hiro, Yuji, and Yuno all squealed with excitement, but Yurren ignored them, "why aren't you telling the police about it?"

Hiro's joy at the name vanished, replaced with seriousness. "I have! They don't believe me at all, and they aren't investigating any of the disappearances related to this because its only been vagrants and slum dwellers so far."

"So how do you know?"

"I could sense it."

"Elaborate."

"I have...psychic powers. I'm sorry if this starts to sound vague, I'm not sure how they work myself or the proper words for this stuff, if there is even-"

"I don't care about jargon, just explain."

"I could tell that...something wasn't right. I could sense that there was something dangerous going on. I followed my 'feeling' and found two people in a duel.

One of them would attack the other, but the other wouldn't lose life points, even though he had no cards on the field or anything. The other person could attack and did real damage to him. Like, the first guy would get thrown about, and he looked all battered and bruised. It was like they had to inflict real damage to actually lower the other person's life points."

"I see...so it was a Spirit Duel..."

"A-anyway, when he lost, the second guy kind of...I-I'm not really sure what he did but...he stole that person's 'duel energy' by winning that duel, sucking him dry. Hiro stumbled on her words, her face scrunched up in the effort to remember every detail. "After that...I was challenged to a duel and I just barely won!"

"How? I thought you had to do real damage or something?" Yuno's statement turned into a question as he rubbed his head.

"Psychic duelists can manifest their abilities through cards. They don't bring monsters to life like we do, it'd be more accurate to say they make a tangible blob of telekinetic power that takes the shape of a monster. They are essentially empty shells without a Spirit within them, just a body that a Spirit can't inhabit. Before you ask, no, a Duel Spirit can't just inhabit a 'creature' made by psychic duelists, the body isn't compatible with a spirit." Yuji stared up at Yurren, mouth wide open. Yuno looked equally lost. "To paraphrase, Psychic Duelists just make an empty body, we actually manifest the Spirit itself into the real world."

"I...guess that's right?" Hiro twirled a finger through one of her pigtails. "My powers just kind of take the shape of the monster, but I don't know the details of your powers and stuff."

"So Hiro used her psychic powers to deal real damage so she could win?"

"Essentially yes. It that's how Spirit Duels work."

"And that's why I came here today. I saw you at the tournament," she turned to Yuno. "You can make monsters real too!"

"You don't technically make mon-"

"You know what I meant!" Hiro screeched at Yurren. "All of you can make monsters real! I'm here to ask you to please, please help me defeat the cult of the Unnamed Deity. I tried to do it all on my own but I can't...I'm totally in over my head. I'm begging you, please help me save the world from them!"

"Save the world?" Yuno leaned forward in disbelief. "Y-you mean-?"

"I don't know anything about the Unnamed Deity, but I do know that if they actually revive it, something terrible will happen to our world! I need you-"

"No." The room fell silent. Yuno, Yuji, and Hiro all looked at Yurren. His face was as stern and stoic as ever.

"N-no?" Hiro's face remained stuck in its stunned disbelief. "What do you mean no?"

Yurren stood from the couch. "I mean no. We are not going to help you."

"Why not?!"

"Speak for yourself Yurren! People need our help!" Yuno declared, he stood up to Yurren, but a swift glare from him made Yuno sit back down.

"I frankly don't care that people 'need our help,' if they do that is."

"Wha-?"

"This girl has provided no solid evidence to prove the existence of this 'cult.' And before you ask 'why would she lie about that?' there're many reasons, most of which involve fraud in some way. My primary reason for refusing however, is quite simply, that it has nothing to do with me."

"You can't be serious!" Hiro screeched.

"I'm dead serious. My children don't duel so they aren't in danger. As for my nephews, You said they could only extract this energy through a duel correct? As long as they don't duel anyone suspicious they won't be in danger. And if these duels are real, then that means the damage taken by monsters is real too. I'm not putting my choir through that kind of pain. Agreeing to help you would put my choir, and my nephews, in jeopardy."

"The whole world is at stake!"

"Is it now? You know nothing of this Unnamed Deity or of its plans. I am not charging head long into a fight and endangering my family simply because you have some suspicions."

Yurren turned around, walking back behind the couch and to the front door.

Hiro chased after him, grabbing his shoulder and pulling him back. "People are dying! Doesn't that mean anything to you?!"

Yurren turned back and simply answered, "No."

"Yurren I want to help!" Yuji spoke up from the couch, looking over the back at Yurren.

"We can't just leave people to die!"

"Perhaps you can't, but I can and I'm your guardian."

Hiro glared at Yurren, her fists clenched. "C-can we go talk on the roof, just the two of us...?" she growled, her voice shaking with rage.

Raising an eyebrow, Yurren said, "Very well. You two, stay here until we return." Yurren pushed open the door, holding it wide for Hiro who stormed out. On his way out, he grabbed his duel disk.

He followed just behind her, closing the door behind him. Beckoning to Hiro, Yurren advanced up a set of stairs at the end of the hallway. Once he reached the top, he opened the door on the landing and stepped out onto the building's roof. The wind blew through his clothes and hair as clouds moved busily across the sun, the bright blue sky twinkling. Yurren walked to the center of the roof and turned back to look at Hiro, who was standing by the door, arms crossed. "You're the one who called me up here. What do you want?"

"...have you told those boys the truth yet?"

-!-

"...I haven't and I don't plan on telling them anytime soon." Hiro's eyes narrowed, but before she could speak, Yurren asked, "how do you know?"

"I'm psychic. I could tell something was different about you three, I could also sense you knew what it was while the other two didn't."

"How problematic..."

"Mr. Yuki, I will tell Yuno and Yuji that you're hiding something from them unless you promise to work with me."

Yurren didn't answer right away. Instead, he looked out over the city and thought Hiro's words over. "If you can beat me in a duel, I'll work with you AND I'll tell those two the truth." Before she could say anything, Yurren added, "But if I win, you will leave here and never bother us again with this cult nonsense. And you will keep quiet about the truth."

Hiro put her finger to her chin and closed her eyes. After a moment of silence she announced, "I accept, let's do this!" She pulled her backpack off her shoulder and pulled out her duel disk.

Yurren activated his own duel disk, then pulled his deck out of the slot and held it up. For a moment, nothing happened, then yellow streaks of light arc over the building and dove into Yurren's deck. Once the lights disappeared, he slid his deck back into his Duel Disk.

"What was that just now?"

"I was calling back my Choir. I might be good, but I can't win without my monsters. Now then," Yurren looked up from his Duel Disk, the stare making Hiro shiver from its intensity, "Shall we begin?"

"DUEL!" The usual confirmation cry, shouted by both duelists, was shouted only by Hiro. Yurren remained silent.

Turn 1:

|Hiro: 4000|  
|Yurren: 4000|

"Ladies first!"

"You mean tomboys first."

"I heard that! I'll show you!" Hiro drew her first card and grinned smugly at Yurren. "Don't be too shocked by this~ I activate Dark Magic Veil."

"Wow."

"T-this!" Hiro stuttered, enraged by Yurren's sarcasm. "This card lets me Special Summon a DARK Spellcaster from my hand at the cost of 1000 LP and I have just the one!"

|Hiro: |  
|4000 » 3000|

Hiro held a card aloft and what emerged was a figure, cloaked in purple robes. The figure spun their green staff between their hands before swinging it down to their side, his purple eyes meeting Yurren's shocked gaze.

"Behold: Dark Magician! {Level 7-**ATK**:2500/DEF:2100}" Yurren's eyes narrowed as he beheld the legendary spellcaster. "Are you shocked?"

"I am indeed. The Dark Magician is exceedingly rare, but unlike the other Heroes' Monsters, it wasn't one of a kind. Plenty of other duelists, like Arcana, the man the King of Games himself fought in battle city, had multiple copies of it."

"S-so?"

"So I'm surprised, but its just like owning any other super rare card. Now, can you use it right?"

"You'll see! I summon Magician's Rod in Attack Mode! {Level 3-**ATK**:1600/DEF:100}" A rod appeared on the field, wielded by a faceless specter resembling the Dark Magician. "When Magician's Rod is Normal Summoned I can add a Spell or Trap Card that has 'Dark Magician' in its text to my hand! I'll add 'Magician Navigation' to my hand. Next, I set two cards face down and end my turn."

Turn 2:

|Hiro: 4000|  
|Yurren: 4000|

Yurren silently pulled his first card free and looked it over. A nostalgic scoff left his lips as he said, "From my hand, I play the Spell Card Graceful Charity."

"Wow really? That card's super rare nowadays! You know the new rules about it, right?

"Yes, I do."

Certain restrictions were placed on a card trio known as 'The Trinity' due to their power. The Trinity consisted of Pot of Greed, Graceful Charity, and Delinquent Duo. The new restrictions were thus: not only were they all once per turn now, but you could only have one copy of each in your deck. Also, the card had to spend at least two of the player who activated its End Phases in the Graveyard before it could be added to the deck or to the hand again.

Yurren drew three cards, then slid two cards into the Graveyard without a word. "I activate Celestial Transformation from my hand. Using this I Special Summon a Fairy-type monster from my hand, but her ATK is halved, and she's destroyed during the End Phase. Now, take to the stage Serenade the Melodious Diva. {Level 4-ATK:400/**DEF:**1900}" The portal that appeared on the ground when monsters were summoned opened wide, and streams of light, like ledger lines spilled forth along with various music notes and musical iconography. Serenade emerged from the portal and gave a little twirl before taking her place beside Yurren.

{Serenade's ATK: 400 » 200}

"That was quite the flashy entrance."

"Thank you! We all worked really hard on them." Serenade said, bouncing on her heels with excitement.

"Serenade counts as two tributes when I Tribute Summon with her. I Tribute Serenade the Melodious Diva!"

"Toodles!" Serenade popped into two balls of light, each inscribed with a pink double whole note, which then came together into a ball of light that began to take shape as a whole new monster.

"Show them your musical prowess. Take to the stage, Mozarta the Melodious Maestra! {Level 8-**ATK:**2600/DEF:2000}" Mozarta's feet touched the ground lightly, she spread her arms out, making her dress flutter a little bit. "I activate Mozarta's effect. She lets me Special Summon a Fairy-Type Monster from my hand!" Mozarta raised her arms, a baton in her hand. She closed her eyes and began waving the baton back and forth, drawing lines and notes in the air as she did. Her eyes shot opened and she directed the lines and notes she made towards the space next to her. "Soprano the Melodious Songstress, take the stage! {Level 4-**ATK:**1400/DEF:1400}" The ledger lines and music notes merged into a cocoon, from which Soprano burst forth. "When Soprano is Special Summoned I can add a Melodious monster from my Graveyard to my hand. I choose Canon the Melodious Diva, and since I control a Melodious monster, I can Special Summon her to the field. So take the stage Canon! {Level 4-ATK:1400/**DEF:**2000}" Canon appeared on the other side of Mozarta. She cracked her knuckles before taking a knee and crossing her arms over her chest.

"I activate my Trap Card, Black Illusion!" Hiro declared, making the card flip up. "With this, Spellcaster-Monsters with more than 2000 ATK can't be destroyed by battle, and they are unaffected by card effects! My Magician is safe-"

Yurren closed his eyes, a small smirk curling his lips. "It seems...the conditions for victory have been met."

An ethereal purple light shone from Black Illusion. Slowly, as if reluctant to do so, the card settled back face-down before exploding on the spot.

"What the hell?"

"Herald of Purple Light's effect."

"Wait? Wh-what happened to my trap?!"

"I said, Herald of Purple Light's effect. More precisely, I activate its effect." Yurren held up both it and another card. "By sending Herald and another Fairy-Type Monster to the Graveyard I can negate your trap card and destroy it." He moved Herald to the side, revealing the second card. "This little thing is called Eva. When its sent to the Graveyard I can banish up to two Fairy-Type Monsters from my field or Graveyard to add two Level 2 or below Fairies to my hand with different names." Yurren tucked Herald of Purple Light into his breast pocket before pulling a second Fairy from his Graveyard and tucking it away as well. He deposited Eva in the Graveyard and ran his finger down his deck, pulling a card from it. He spun it around between his fingers and turned it around for Hiro to see. "I banish Herald of Purple Light to add Score the Melodious Diva to my hand."

"Wait...what you said earlier...what the hell do you mean the 'conditions for victory have been met?!'"

"I didn't know what your second face down was, but now that I know it was nothing to be concerned about, I know for a fact I can win."

"How'd you know what my first face down was then!? If you're so smart-"

"It's Magician's Navigation, the card you added to your hand." Hiro started, staring at Yurren in disbelief. "You clearly wanted that card, hence why you added it to your hand and since it's a Trap Card you can't activate it from your hand so you had to Set it so you could use it."

"That's-"

"It's nothing to be impressed by, it's just critical thinking. Now, to end this duel." Yurren's eyes shifted from blue to violent purple, a breeze picked up around his feet. "Mozarta the Melodious Maestra, attack Magician's Rod!" Mozarta lifted off the ground and spread her wings wide. Piano keys appeared across the surface of her translucent wings as she waved baton, conducting the piano music issuing from her own wings. "Graceful Wave!" Mozarta slashed her baton through the air, sending a sound wave cutting across the sky and slamming into the rod and the spectral figure, destroying both. Hiro held up her arms to block the impact of the blast, which sent her skidding back.

|Hiro:|  
|3000 » 1800|

"Y-you're using spirits..."

"I always do. My Duel Disk's projection systems are damaged. There's no point in buying a new one if I can just do it myself with my powers."

"Impressive as that is...I'm still standing! What was that about 'conditions for victory' again?

He threw his hand out to Soprano, a card clutched between his index and middle fingers. "I activate Flash Fusion! This Quick-play Spell lets me Fusion Summon using monster's I control! Now Soprano, harmonize your perfect pitch with Mozarta's masterful melody!"

Soprano nodded to Yurren before she and Mozarta nodded at one another. They both leapt off the ground. Mozarta spread her wings wide and began conducting to an unseen choir as Soprano, taking position in front of her sang a wordless tune. They turned into orange and blue streaks respectively and began swirling around each other. Yurren lifted his hand as the swirling colors tilted upwards and began to bend inwards, clasping together like a flower bud, which came to rest on Yurren's palm, and glowed with a soft pinkish-purple light. The flower pealed back and petals filled the air. Within the blooming bud sat a slumbering girl, who opened her pupil-less eyes as the flower unfolded. She spread her arms, blowing the bud apart and scattering flower petals throughout the air. The girl's feet were buried within a flower in a small pot, which floated to the ground. She lifted her feet free from the pot and stepped onto the battlefield and swung out her hand, the flower in the pot flew apart, its petals flying and off positioning themselves behind the girl's back, making it look like she had floral wings. The petals swam through the surrounding air, giving her an aura of fronds.

"Descend on floral wings, symphonic angel. May my soul be the baton that ushers in your blossoming seraphic voice. Sing the song of victory that resonates through all celestial creation. Take center stage: Bloom Diva the Melodious Choir! {Level 6-**ATK**:1000/DEF:2000}"

Bloom looked back at Yurren and gave him a confident nod.

"Right. Bloom Diva, attack the Dark Magician!" Bloom spun around and thrust her hand out, pointing at the Dark Magician. Her hagoromo* shot through the, air wrapping around the Dark Magician and squeezing him tight. Dark Magician struggled fiercely to escape, but- "I activate the effect of Score the Melodious Diva!" Yurren slid Score into the Graveyard and she appeared floating beside him, song book open and ready. "I can send her to the Graveyard to make your Monster's ATK drop to 0. Weakening Waltz!"

"Yessir!" Score flew up to the Dark Magician and took a deep breath before starting to sing, her eyes locked onto her songbook. The Dark Magician's struggles began to weaken as the song reverberated throughout him.

{Dark Magician's ATK: 2500 » 0}

Score snapped the song book shut and disappeared in a shower of music notes. Bloom grabbed the ends of her hagoromo and pulled them in opposite directions, arms crossed over each other. With one final pull, the hagoromo pulled through the Dark Magician, and he exploded into flower petals. Bloom directed the veil back to its proper place before pulling her arm back, calling the swarm of petals to her side. "Bloom's effect means you're going to take 1500 points of damage and thanks to Score, you can add another 1000 to that. I told you, the conditions for victory have been met! I activate Bloom Diva's effect: Blossom Dance!" Bloom launched the petals at Yurren's command, they rushed over Hiro like a tidal wave, throwing her onto her back and sending her rolling away.

|Hiro:|  
|1800 » 0|

Hiro pushed herself to her knees, she was panting heavily. The monsters and cards on the field disappeared, save for Bloom, who stood in front of Yurren.

"Dammit...dammit dammit! I had Magicalized Fusion! I almost had enough to summon Quintet Magician! I...I let everyone down..."

"The deal was: I win, you leave. And that was a fairly decisive victory in my eyes."

"Mr. Yuki, I'm begging you to reconsider! The lives are at stake!"

"Lives of people I'll never know or meet." Bloom looked at Yurren when he said that, her brow furrowed and her face sad, but she said nothing of it.

"I'm not putting them in danger just to deal with something that might be a problem." Yurren turned away from Hiro and headed to the door leading back inside. "I'll get your rags for you, wait outside the apartment."

Yurren opened the door and headed back inside, returning to his suite.

"What happened up there?" Yuno asked as soon as Yurren entered. "I saw you grab your Duel Disk and it sounded like there was a duel. Did you win? What was going on?"

"I had a duel with her and won. As per our agreement, she will leave. I'm merely getting her rags for her."

As Yurren pulled the rags off the coat hanger, Yuji spoke up from the couch. "What about the Shadow Guy?"

"She won't be bothering us about that anymore either. Those were the conditions of the duel."

"What?!" Yuno shouted, his voice mixed with shock and rage. "Yurren, people are dying!"

"People we don't know. It's not our problem!"

"That's really all you have to say about it?! Yur-"

"Listen to me now!" Yurren spun about, hissing at Yuno. "If everything that girl said is true, then those people are challenging people using Duel Spirits, not holograms. Do you know what happens to Duel Spirits when they fight? They get hurt, REALLY hurt. Remember your last duel with Cassian?" Yuno nodded. "Imagine if he was using Spirits. Think about all the times Red Dragon was destroyed or attacked. Think about the pain we would be going through! He'd be in agony! I'm not putting my choir through that! And the damage done to players is real too! Yuno a Spirit Duel doesn't end until the other person's Life Points hit 0, do you know what that means?"

"I-"

"It means you either walk out a murderer or you don't walk out at all!"

Silence fell over the room. Yuno and Yuji's shocked faces were blankly fixed upon Yurren's. Bloom, who had silently entered behind Yurren, grabbed the rags from him. "I'll take these up to her."

"Please do." Bloom nodded and left the suite. Silence once again settled on the room.

Yurren brushed past Yuno and into his bedroom slamming the door shut behind him. He fell against his door and slid to the ground, burying his head in his hands.

This...this was the right thing to do. Doing this, refusing to help, ensured the safety of everyone.

This was the right thing to do.

This was the right thing to do.

This was the right thing to do.

...right?

* * *

Sorry for the sporadic uploads. I caught Covid not too long ago and was sick for several weeks. I'm back on it now, though my illness might have contributed to this chapter being a bit shorter than usual.

*Hagoromo - A scarf wore by Tennin in Japanese Buddhism. It's a floating scarf/veil that goes over someone's shoulders and usually arcs above the person's head. Bloom Diva has one in her artwork.


End file.
